Toyota Mark II most of all, its reliability; the Cressida was quickly gaining a reputation for outstanding ownership. In August 1983, Toyota chairman Eiji Toyoda initiated the F1 project ("Flagship" and "No. 1 vehicle"; alternatively called the "Circle-F" project), a clandestine effort aimed at producing a world-class luxury sedan for international markets. This led to the creation of an all new, full size luxury sedan designed for export markets and was called the Lexus LS. The US-market 1981 Cressida was the first car to come with motorized automatic shoulder harnesses which wrapped around front seat occupants when the door was closed and the
Personal luxury car . This marketing approach was also used in Japan, where the early 1970s saw the introduction of the Toyota Crown coupe, followed by the coupe versions of the Nissan Cedric and Nissan Gloria, and the Mazda Luce. In the 1980s the Toyota Soarer, Nissan Leopard, Mazda Cosmo, and the Honda Legend were popular with Japanese buyers. Throughout the 1970s American "personal luxury" cars grew ever larger, heavier, and more luxurious. By the early 1980s, however, they were typically equipped with either a V6 or a dramatically detuned V8 engine in order to comply with increasingly strict vehicle emissions standards. In