Toyota Automobile Museum-Nagoya a preview for car lovers. Toyota’s story

Leonardo da Vinci designed the first deft propelled vehicle in 1495. It was propelled by springs.

Although he never built a working model, the engineers at Toyota did produce a working prototype several centuries later.

Sakichi Toyoda was an inventor that designed and developed cotton spinning and weaving machines

His products were so successful he sold the patent rights to the UK and that set the company up financially.

Toyota still makes weaving machines and also ones that produce your air bags.

Sakichi’s son when on trade missions to the UK and the USA became interested in the growth of automobiles.

He purchased a 1933 GM manufactured Cheviot and sent to to Japan.

He de-constructed every item and studied them.

The then set about hand forging sheet metal parts, created moulds for casting the block and associated parts, finally producing a vehicle in 1935

Before production every part was tested - these were some on the units.

On the right an impact test

This is a Toyota Model AA

Found in Russia in 2003, the only surviving Model AA.

Currently on display in the Loueman Museum in the Netherlands.

It’s display in its found state.

The world’s first mass/produced hydrogen fuel cell vehicle- Toyota’s Mitrai.

It runs on electricity generated from fuel hydrogen and oxygen in air, without any CO2 emissions.

The only thing it emits is water. Range 650kms.

And something nice- the Lexus LFA, only 500 were produced and sold worldwide.

It had a carbon fibre monocoque chassis.