Prince Motor Company
The Japanese auto industry was expanding rapidly in the early 1960s, and the Imperial Household Agency sought a Japanese auto manufacturer to produce a suitable car for the Emperor of Japan. In September 1965, the Prince Motor Company announced that they would be providing two vehicles for the Emperor. The first would be ready by 1966, the other by 1967. In May 1966, Prince Motor Co. merged with Nissan Motor Co., and so Nissan was added to the name of the car. The Prince Motor Company had an established relationship with the Imperial Household Agency previously, when they presented the first Prince Gloria to Crown Prince Akihito as a one-year anniversary wedding gift, and an earlier gift to the Crown Prince called the Prince Sedan in 1954. The Prince Royal was the second Japanese built post-war vehicle to use a V8 engine; the first was the Toyota Crown Eight in 1964.