Ode to the Lexus SC 430
Posted by krew on January 25th, 2010
Here’s a fantastic article on Automobiles De Luxe praising the Lexus SC 430 and its “clean beauty”—author Gunnar Heinrich manages to capture the very thing that made the sports convertible special, no matter what its critics may say.
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Lexus SC: 2nd Generation
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The SC is great. I always loved its exterior. Its interior I loved more and more when I realized how much more leather details it had than the rest of the Lexus models. I don’t need to go on… I just want to see a good replacement. I want a true GS coupe (like the 1st-gen SC), LS coupe (Mercedes CL or BMW “8-series”), and SC coupe (Mercedes SL and BMW 6-series). But I’m just an enthusiast talking…
You know what? I’m still surprised that Lexus came up with a car like the SC. It really does have a sense of class… really elegant and beautiful. It really is something to cherish - I should get one when they stop production and start slashing prices
hehe (I’m an enthusiast doesn’t like driving off the dealer lot looking like a fool.)
i think the SC430 is one of the few Lexus models that has a truly timeless design. I love it’s curves, it’s rounded, fat body. It’s beautiful. It’s interior is gorgeous as well.
I’ve actually been thinking about buying an SC430 for some time now, even before I found out they were going to discontinue it. I may just have to go ahead and trade in my LS430 to get one.
What a collectible the SC430 has become. This is arguably more of a future classic than the original SC, seeing as it has always had only one variant & the engine was left untouched throughout the life cycle. The last of the 4.3 L V8’s. Its remarkable how gracefully the design has aged, still looks attractive from certain angles. But its the interior that’s absolutely mind-blowing, for me still the most opulent Lexus interior around what with the gathered leather on the doors & seats, looks so delicious & the best wood trim in the world !
Jason Barlow of Top Gear called this interior “ridiculosly upperclass”. Nuff said I guess
Thx for the article, a fitting tribute at the conclusion of SC 430 production.
—interesting, I didn’t know of Jason Barlow’s comments on Top Gear, I was only aware of Mr. Hammond trashing it. IMO, the SC 430 had quite a few merits and the linked article describes them well.
I absoletely agree with you! I hope Lexus is listening
An LS coupe would be pretty cool. I found a picture of what an LS460 C might look like.
@James: I love that picture! The way the wheels are larger, the way the chrome on the rocker panel is more elegant… and ooo, I especially love the stately appearance that seems to give the rear occupants plenty of headroom. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!
Your photoshop is perfect, but Lexus should put in a little more effort and change the front fascia a bit (great balance between stately presence and sleekness) and make the interior sleeker while adding more wood and leather.
Does anyone remember this picture from an old post on this website?
@WorldofLuxury: Yeah, I agree. They would have to change the front a little. Additional wood and leather would also make it look more expenisve. I’m thinking it’d be a serious CL-class competitor.
I also noticed that the car in the image you posted was a hybrid. Look at the badge on the front and the headlights. An LS600h C would also be very cool.
Do you think they would create another name or just add a “C” to the end? Like they did on the IS350 C?
@WorldofLuxury @James
I like what I’m seeing in this thread and everyone has great ideas. But Lexus needs to first start with getting an IS Coupe out next year when the next gen IS debuts. After that they need to debut a GS Coupe the year after and by that time the next gen LS will be due and it could debut with both Coupe and Sedan configs.
Coupes in my mind are easy money for Lexus since their just sedans with 2 less doors and sleeker form factors, that they can charge more for.
On the bottom of the lineup I can see there being an entry level LF-Ch Coupe for $30K
Then an IS Coupe for $40K
Then a GS Coupe for $50K
Then the SC roadster for $70K
Then the LS Coupe for $90K
and of course Lexus’s flagship coupe the LFA at $375K
@James: C is a very “elegant” letter. aha Name change won’t be necessary, and without name change, it’s easier for the customers to notice certain models.
Have you seen any IS C’s? I’ve seen quite a few, all driven by females. They all look great! I can’t wait until the next generation IS lineup. (I love how that IS Line commercial has really caught up. All the people I know have taken notice and began using that phrase while still making mistakes such “500-series” and “Mercedes 500”
)
@WorldofLuxury: Yeah, I think it would be easier to just add a “C” to the end. That way it would just exand the “LS-line” instead of making an entirely new line.
I have seen a few IS C’s. I don’t know about you but have you seen an IS350 C? All I’ve seen were IS250 C’s. Maybe people aren’t willing to spend the extra money just for the larger engine.
This is probably going to sound crazy, but… What about an F-performance version of the “LS460 C” that would compete against the CL63 AMG and M6? Or maybe just a V12 version to compete with the CL600?
An IS and GS coupe would also be a good idea. However i’m not sure what they’d compete with. The IS Coupe would compete against the BMW 3-series coupe and the Audi A5. The GS Coupe would compete with the Mercedes E-coupe and what else?
@James: Me too. All IS 250 Cs. Also, the GS Coupe can be a 6-series competitor since the 6 is based on the 5 and the M6 has the M5 engine. Also, the GS coupe would be something more pricey than the IS coupe because it would be more focused on combining sportiness and smoothness. The GS coupe doesn’t have to get in the way of the LS coupe, and that is why the LS coupe needs to stay large enough for at least four adults and stay focused on smooth road behaviors. We don’t want the GS coupe to be just something purchased because the LS coupe was too expensive.
@WorldofLuxury: What about if they did something like Mercedes? Add a totally different grill for the coupe models?
Here’s the regular E-class:
And heres the E-coupe:
See how they’re so different? I wonder if Lexus could come up with something totally different for their coupe models?
The reason I think that’d be a good idea is because they’d all look different. I’ve never liked how all Audi’s and BMW’s share the same grill and the same features. Seriously, compare them side by side and you’ll see the BIG similarities.
3-series
7-series
Even though you can tell which is which, they’re still very close. In my opinion, BMW has some of the laziest design people in the world. It seems like all they do is take a design from an existing car and modify a little. The same thing with Audi too. The A4 looks just like the A8.
@James: lol. Sorry to break the news to you, buddy, but you’re just looking at the commonplace Mercedes grille and the usual AMG-style grille.
Also, I never considered the E65/E66 7-series to be a very dramatically designed, mass produced car. It was just a little radical for what the industry had at the time. Still, I thank Bangle for making cars into works of art… but people complained. The new 7 is just boring. When I saw it in person, especially the one without the shiny black pain, I just thought, “I miss Bangle.” The new 5-er is nicely designed, but after awhile, it becomes just as boring as the new 7-er. But the kidney grilles I like; the LED halo rings I like; the LED brows I like; the LED strips in the taillights I like; the overall outcome I don’t like. The new BMW interiors are great, but I just can’t help but think about how bland they are even though they might have more obvious details than Lexus vehicles do.
Lexus needs to bring up their design game. If they want to justify the ridiculous, seasonal (sometimes monthly) price-hikes, then they should give us cars to really drool on! Don’t look at the newest Infiniti G! That car is now considered BLAND!
@WorldofLuxury: I know that’s the normal Mercedes grill and the normal AMG grill. But what I mean is that there is an obvious difference. You can see the front of that and automatically know whether it’s the sedan or the coupe. If Lexus did ever consider an LS coupe or a GS coupe, the coupe version would have to have a totaly different grill. In other words, not like the IS and IS C, which look too similar from the front. On those, it looks okay though. But on an $80k+ car, there needs to be some originality.
@James @WorldofLuxury
I’ve also only seen IS250 Cs. Maybe for the next gen the IS 350 convertible can be axed and replaced with an IS 350 Coupe. So then both the convert and the coupe would be priced below $40K, and people could choose between performance coupe or comfy droptop. Both would also be called IS C but the distinction would be that ones a convertible and the other is a Coupe.
Something similar could be done to the GS too but I’m not sure if Lexus would make a GS convertible, especially with the SC there. A GS convertible would be nice though, because it would at least be able to fit 4 people more comfortably than the IS C or SC.
@(Cj): That’s not a bad idea about the IS C. But yeah, I don’t see Lexus coming out with a GS convertible anytime soon.
@(Cj): @James: Like I said, the GS coupe is simply gonna take the place of the SC in the same way that the 6-series is based on the 5-series. The SC should just be a two-seat fun car.
@WorldofLuxury: So, are you suggesting that they get rid of the SC and just replace it with a “GS C”? Or are you saying that the SC should just be a two seet roadster and that the “GS C” would be a true four seat coupe?
I think that’s what WoL is saying, and I agree with him somewhat. But realistically I don’t think Lexus is going to make a GS coupe, so the SC may end up being the GS Coupe and Convertible. I would hope not, but that seems like the more Lexus like approach.
Just came across this rendered sugestion for what a 3rd gen. SC might look like. I think it’s rather nice!
http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/lexus-sc-rendered-by-avarvarii-ar84244.html
@Eljay: Dang… the rendering makes the LF-Ch and LF-A Roadster Concept look even more like twins! Thanks for the picture.
@Eljay: That’s perfect! Lexus could do much worse than to follow that design. I also like the LED headlights in that rendering, however that probably won’t happen unless it has a hybrid counterpart. Of course Lexus has stated that they want a hybrid version of every model, so maybe it is a possibility.
They could also expand the SC to create it’s own line. SC, SC F, and SCh? I’m probably dreaming.
When will Lexus enveil the next SC? Right after the current SC stops production or will they wait? What do you think?
I have a feeling that if a new SC was imminent we would’ve heard a rumour and maybe even seen a spyshot by now.Still,this is a car company well known for keeping it’s cards close to it’s chest so who knows? Personally I like the idea of a “regular” SC with perhaps the 3.5L V6,then a hybrid model and an F-version. Ideally I’d love to see both a coupé and a convertible model and I’d like to see it lean a bit more towards the sporty,in order to capitalize on the LFA’s popularity.
I doubt that we’ll see a V6 SC since the IS C takes that market. The SC will probably be only V8 and maybe a V6 hybrid model. But I’m not sure a hybrid hard top convertible is even possible. Maybe with lithium batteries? I don’t know.
The Toyota IQ shows that these folks don’t mind a packaging challenge,so I’m sure they could find a way to fit a folding top as well as the hybrid batteries. As for the IS C,there are rumours of an ISC-F,which suggests they’re not unwilling to let the SC and the IS C overlap to some degree.Of course,this are mere speculations,but they’re such exciting speculations,aren’t they?
@Eljay: Well a hybrid hardtop convertible would definitely be a worlds first.
An IS-C F would be interesting, but I don’t know who would want something like that. Performance buyers would prefer a coupe and not a heavy convertible, and convertible buyers could care less about breakneck performance. An F IS-C would be very niche IMO.
Better for Lexus would be a regular Coupe IS and IS-F.
Anyway, I wonder where Lexus wants to take the next SC. I have a lot of ideas and really anything that’s sporty beautiful fast and luxurious would be a good SC replacement.
On the one side a pure Mercedes SL competitor would be fantastic. A two seater retractable hardtop roadster that’s fast and sleek would be an excellent addition to the Lexus lineup.
On the other hand something along the lines of the Jaguar XK would be equally amazing and an equally perfect addition to the lineup. A 4 seater performance Coupe and softtop Roadster with a luxury interior and plenty of speed to boot like the XK would be more in line with the 1st and 2nd gen SC’s versus a 2 seat roadster, but what ever Lexus chooses to do performance needs to be the number one focus.
Well,I’m certainly glad to see somebody sharing my fondness for the SC series. I’d marry Amy Winehouse if an SC were the dowry.
Who knows,spending the honeymoon driving across the European continent in an SC430 she might give up the sauce and the dope for a much better adiction:Lexus cars!