Did you know that Toyota built a Hemi engine 60 years ago, and hardly anyone remembers? It’s a piece of automotive history that’s been buried under the shadow of Chrysler’s iconic HEMI V8s, but it’s a story worth uncovering. When you think of a Hemi engine, Chrysler’s legendary designs likely dominate your thoughts—whether it’s the classic variants from the '50s and '60s or the modern powerhouses in Dodge muscle cars and RAM trucks. But here’s where it gets fascinating: Chrysler wasn’t the only player in the Hemi game.
While Ford and Chevrolet dabbled with hemispherical combustion chambers in their racing engines during the 1960s, Toyota was quietly crafting its own Hemi V8s—not for the global stage, but for the streets of Japan. And this is the part most people miss: Toyota’s Hemi V8 wasn’t just a fleeting experiment; it powered the company’s high-end luxury sedans, like the Toyota Century, for decades. Unlike Chrysler, which retired its original HEMI engine, Toyota kept refining its Hemi V8 well into the 1990s, long after Chrysler had moved on.
1964 was a monumental year for Japan, marking the Tokyo Olympics and the debut of the Shinkansen bullet train. It was also the year Toyota unveiled its first mass-produced V8 engine, the V-series, designed for the upscale Crown Eight luxury sedan. What made this engine truly remarkable was its all-aluminum construction and hemispherical heads, co-developed with Yamaha. But the real star arrived in 1967: the Toyota Century, a car less about driving and more about being driven in opulence. For three decades, the Century relied on the V-series Hemi V8, which grew from 2.6 liters to a robust 4.0 liters in its final iteration in 1982.
But here’s where it gets controversial: In the mid-1990s, Toyota replaced the Century’s V8 with something even more exclusive—a naturally aspirated V12, the 1GZ-FE. This engine remains Toyota’s only production V12, reserved solely for the Century, which has since become its own distinct luxury brand. Was this a bold move or an unnecessary flex? Let’s discuss in the comments.
Now, here’s another twist: a Hemi doesn’t have to be a V8. In the early '70s, Chrysler produced a HEMI-headed inline-6 for the Australian market, and Toyota followed suit with its own hemispherical designs on smaller engines. These four-cylinder Hemi engines, like the 3T, became staples in popular export models such as the Toyota Corolla and Celica during the 1970s and early '80s. Compact yet potent, these engines laid the groundwork for Toyota’s future high-output, small-displacement powerplants.
And this is the part that sparks debate: While Toyota’s Hemi V8 lineage ended in the 1990s, the Century continued using the older OHV design long after Toyota introduced the more modern DOHC 1UZ V8 in the Lexus LS400. Was this a stubborn attachment to the past, or a testament to the engine’s reliability? Meanwhile, Toyota’s V8s have only grown more powerful, culminating in the 472-hp 5.0-liter V8 that now powers the Lexus IS 500.
So, here’s the question for you: Does Toyota’s forgotten Hemi V8 deserve more recognition, or is it just a footnote in automotive history? Share your thoughts below—let’s keep the conversation going!
