Lexus GS: 2nd Generation

To introduce the second generation GS, Lexus played up a sinister theme to match what was then “the world’s fastest automatic sedan”:

After the modest success of the first GS, the second generation was a massive hit right from the start, with over 30,000 first year sales and a strong reception from the automotive press (including the 1998 Motor Trend Import Car of the Year award). The 2GS was a constant in the lineup for eight years, and built one of Lexus’ strongest enthusiast groups along the way. An exceptional car.

Great story in Modified Magazine about Jayson Pizarro and his heavily modified LS1-powered Lexus GS 300—absolutely no compromises in this build, and it shows down to every detail. One of the complete custom 2GS’ I’ve ever seen.

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From 1997, here’s a Top Gear feature on the freshly updated Lexus LS 400 and the brand new GS 300:

It’s no surprise that presenter Quentin Wilson is extremely positive about Lexus in this feature, the refreshed second-generation LS and the just released second-generation GS were quite a formidable pairing. However, I was surprised by Wilson’s confession that he was personally on his second LS—I wonder how he felt about Jeremy Clarkson blowing up an LS 400 with a machine gun.

Flickr photographer capt4inslow has posted up some incredible shots of a second-gen GS 400, here’s a couple of my favorites:

I’ve always been a big fan of this GS generation, with its equally elegant and aggressive styling. More than anything, though, these photos remind me of the tough decision I had to make when choosing the LS over the GS, which I still revisit from time to time.

Be sure to check out capt4inslow’s Flickr stream for more GS 400 photos.

For sheer volume, there’s few things I come across more on Youtube than Lexus’ doing donuts. Practically an everyday event, I’ve never thought to feature a single one until now. Crazy speed, residential area, tight turning radius:

To top it off, if the description is to be believed, the car’s stolen, meaning this whole video is just stupid insane even before pressing play. Who steals cars and posts about it on the Internet?

Even though I’m a fan of stock rides (with the exception of some nice rims & tints), it’s impossible for me to avoid drooling over Kelvin Tohar’s VIP’d (AutoLuxury) 2000 GS 300:

I’m practically in love with the Junction Produce body kit, but I’m just not feeling the insanely tilted rims, which is due to squeezing 19-inch Scara rims and Falken tires under a severely dropped suspension. It’s part of the look though, and it’s not something that comes cheap:

The VIP style is quite tempting, but Kelvin warns that it isn’t cheap. Even though you can pick up a used GS 300 for around $15,000, the right parts will cost you nearly double that.

You can check out the full article and more photos @ Superstreet Magazine.