A shining example of Toyota having way too much time and money on its hands in the early 2000s, the Toyota Brevis is what happens when you cross an Altezza/IS300 and a Celsior/LS430.
For the basic rundown: the Brevis, along with the Progres was one of two luxury sedans that Toyota built upon the first generation Altezza platform. While the Progres was aimed at older, traditional buyers with its stately look that mimic’d the Crown and Century models, the Brevis was aimed at younger luxury buyers, using a philosophy dubbed, “mini-LS430,” by Toyota.
Everything on the interior and exterior was completely redesigned to look like the brand new LS430 at the time, with a big chrome grille on the front, smooth rounded headlights and tail lights, and a woodgrain-emblazened dashboard with navigation systems and all sorts of panels below the radio in the center stack, very LS430, indeed.
The Brevis came and went from 2001-2007 as a Japan-only car. When it was discontinued, it, along with its brother the Progres, were the last two cars built by Toyota with a straight 6 engine. Of course, over the years it has gained notoriety with some of the more obscure underground tuning crowds, so VIP and other models can be found if you look hard enough.
Nevertheless, I think it’s a pretty neat idea, making your entry level sports sedan look like your flagship model. When I discovered it last night, I immediately added it to DaftRyosuke’s obscure list of JDM Toyotas that I want but don’t need.