A few awesome variations exist between massive ’80s American and ’80s Japanese sedans. While the Americans favored large, torquey V8s in powering their, in reality, huge sedans—whether their live axle rear ends could handle that torque or now not—the Japanese favored smaller, greener six-cylinder motors and suspension setups that could pamper you over bumps, however, tighten up in the twisty bits. The Japs truly took inspiration from the Americans inside the styling department although, a reality that shines via inside the Toyota Crown and Mark II fashions beginning from the past due to the 60s, all of the way thru to the late 00s.
It’s no accident that huge Japanese motors appeared and experienced America—for the longest time, the idea of luxury for the Japanese became defined with the aid of the spacious over-intake of the West. The Mark II is a first-class-of-each-worlds car, combining the grace and fashion of America’s massive sedans with the efficiency, reliability, and dealing afforded by Japan’s engineering ingenuity.
Ziyaad Rahman’s restored ToyotaX71 Mark II has an extended record at the back of it—from family road journeys to endless years of family bonding with the Mark II as a suitably massive circle of relatives sedan. Bought via Ziyaad’s father for around TK eight lakh in 1989, the X71 has been in the family for 30 years. To ArifIbneZillur Rahman, the X71 is more like a son than an automobile—having spent the nice and the worst of instances inside the spacious, secure cabin, this is an own family heirloom that might never see another owner.
That’s not to say it constantly received the pampering it receives now. For about eight years, the Mark II sat in a garage in Uttara, not noted but now not forgotten, watching for someone to pick it up and restore it to its former glory. Ziyaad, with the help of close family friend Chowdhury Fahim-uz-Zaman, took the Mark II to Anwar’s storage—one of the most reputed frame shops in Dhaka—and labored on doing away with nearly a decade’s worth of rust from the panels. It was painted in a deep glossy black that took the Mark II above and past its authentic manufacturing unit color. A pristine X71 Mark II CKD was delivered from Japan, and its indoor engine and a couple of body panels were donated to the patient’s automobile in Dhaka. Nearly TK 10 lakhs have been spent updating the auto’s papers to push it legally. With a brand new set of wheels on, Ziyaad drove it each day for about two years.
Eventually, Ziyaad’s father, a dignified automobile fanatic, determined the original 1G-GE motor had to be replaced. While the technology-specific option called for a 1G-GTE, it’s no longer viable, considering how old and rare these motors are. Ziyaad and Fahim selected the 1JZGTE as a robust and powerful enough alternative. The newer 1JZGTE puts out 276 HP and 268 lb-feet torque in stock shape, while the rare R154 five-speed manual gearbox makes the strength shipping active and addictive.
The change posed some primary problems—the slim tunnel wouldn’t receive the diff, so a compromise was reached, and a Toyota Hilux rear differential became shoehorned. Ziyaad didn’t want to let go of the auto’s first-rate capacity to pamper occupants, so the X71 carries the inventory suspension setup, main to a bizarre feeling comparable to being strapped to a waterbed as it hurtles down the street at breakneck speeds. It wasn’t constructed for velocity or fashion, though. Even though it’s capable of eye-watering performance and turns heads anywhere it goes, this suitable X71 Mark II was built for one cause—to present it the honor it merits as a critical part of the own family.
