Tokyo — TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announces that the Toyota Automobile Museum, a TMC-run cultural facility in Aichi Prefecture, will host a classic car festival at Meijijingu Gaien in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, on Saturday, November 28.

The festival, called "Toyota Automobile Museum Classic Car Festival in Jingu Gaien", will be the third hosted by the museum and is aimed at promoting and developing Japan's automobile culture and encouraging interaction among car fans.  The main venue will be the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery, with the event also including displays of car-related paraphernalia and a parade of approximately 100 classic cars from Japan, America and Europe through Tokyo's Ginza district.

To mark its 20th anniversary, the museum will display prized classic cars from its collection under the theme: "The 100-hundred-year History of Automobiles and Personal Mobility Beyond 100 Years".  There will also be driving demonstrations, working-engine displays and 100-year-old classic cars driven side-by-side with the "i-REAL", one of TMC's proposals for near-future personal mobility.

Overview of Toyota Automobile Museum Classic Car Festival in Jingu Gaien

Date		November 28, 2009
Time		10:00–16:00 (program subject to change depending on weather conditions)
Location	Display	Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery, Meijijingu Gaien (1-1 Kasumigaoka-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo)
	Parade	Start and end at Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery, Meijijingu Gaien; route through Ginza district
Vehicle displays		Approx. 90 from general participants; approx. 10 from Toyota Automobile Museum and related participants
Admission		Free

Program

1. Classic Car Parade (10:50–approx. 12:20)
After an opening ceremony, the parade will begin and take an approximately 11 km route through Tokyo's Ginza district and return to the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery.

2. Classic Car Exhibit

Special Exhibit: One-hundred-year History of Automobiles (10:00–16:00)
Seven classic cars from the Toyota Automobile Museum and near-future vehicles such as the i-REAL will illustrate changes in personal mobility over the past 100 years.  There will also be driving demonstrations and working-engine displays.

Guided tours: 12:30–12:50, 13:30–13:50, 14:30–14:50 Driving demonstrations: 10:00–10:15, 13:00–13:25, 15:00–15:25 Display Vehicles "De Dion-Bouton 1 3/4HP" (1899, France) "Sunbeam Grand Prix" (1922, U.K.) "Packard Twelve" (1939, U.S.A.)

Owner Classic Car Exhibition (10:00–16:00)
Approximately 90 Japanese and imported cars owned by general participants will be on display, including former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida's Rolls Royce.  The display will also include related items, such as owners' badges, photos and books.  For visitors' benefit, individual owners may run the engine and allow pictures to be taken in their vehicle.

3. Mini Parades (13:00–13:15, 13:30–13:45, 14:00–14:15, 14:30–14:45)
Parades of eight to nine owner classic cars around the Meijijingu Outer Precinct are planned.

4. Bonnet Bus Rides (13:00–14:00, 14:30–15:30)
Visitors can ride in a classic bonnet bus through the Jingu Gaien grounds on a first-come-first-served basis.

5. Kids Land (10:00–15:45)
Attractions include pedal go-karts and a commemorative photo area.

6. Classic Car Festival Rally (10:00–15:45)
There will be a "stamp rally", in which visitors can collect rubber-stamp imprints and also cast a vote for the most popular classic car. (Votes must be submitted by 15:15.)

END