Kanto Auto Works
In 1955 Toyota wasn't sure if its independent front coil suspension and the rear-hinged back doors installed on the Crown wouldn't be too radical for the taxi market to accept. When sales of the Crown proved satisfying, the Master sedan was discontinued in November 1956. The Master's body was built by Toyota's Kanto Auto Works subcontractor, as with the preceding RHK Super model. Along with the perceived need for a more robust and conservative model for professional users, Toyota was also interested in providing Kanto Auto Works with assembly work to make up for Toyota moving the production of the Crown entirely in-house. Project Manager Tozo Yabuta quickly developed the Master using a large number of the RHK's parts, with the first prototype running in March 1954. One seemingly retrograde step was moving from the RH's four-speed to a three-speed transmission (although the new unit was fully synchronized), but Japanese buyers at the time associated the need for many gears with weak engines.