Lexus SC: 1st Generation

After look at the present & future of the Lexus SC, I thought it might be interesting to look back at the model’s history—the following video is a dealership introduction for the first-generation SC 400, and is an important look back at what Lexus was trying to achieve with their first sports coupe:

Amazing when you consider that after this video was made, the SC 300/400 won the 1992 Motor Trend Import Car of the Year, and then, with only minor changes, placed on Car & Driver’s Ten Best list for seven years in a row.

No question, this was a truly special car, and one of the fundamental building blocks for Lexus’ success in the US. I wonder then, why such the huge break when the second-generation SC 430 was introduced? Was it a desire to change directions? It also makes me wonder—will the next SC build on any existing design cues, or will it be something completely different once again?

(Quick note: If you have any knowledge of similar videos to this one, please let me know.)

Posting the Lexus SC 400 review from TTAC yesterday reminded me of a Flickr photo by Jon Sylvester (best viewed in original size):

Love the panoramic feel and the lighting—great location as well.

(This, of course, is the Japanese version of the SC 400, the Toyota Soarer, which uses a griffin as its logo.)

The Truth About Cars has posted a review of the 1992 Lexus SC 400, a car many consider Lexus’s most influential design and perhaps the greatest Lexus ever made—here’s an excerpt:

Combined with the four-speed electronic automatic transmission, the engine is just plain unkillable. It can literally out-diesel a diesel when it comes to longevity, and it’s infinitely more quiet.

Speaking of which, when most people enter the SC400, the first things they will notice is the amazing material quality…Lexus today has a long history of coddling their occupants; this model certainly helped give rise to that rep.

With the exception of the LS 400, the SC 400 is the Lexus that I’ve driven most frequently—over the years, I must have test drove 30 of these coupes, and every time I’m always amazed at the absolutely classic design.

As the reviewer notes, most of the time, these old SC’s are extremely well-loved, but every once and a while, you can still stumble on a rare gem—and next time that happens to me, I might not be able to hold back buying the thing.

If these first-gen Lexus SC’s are any indication, Oakland rolls with a style all of its own:

Both of these photos were captured by Oakland resident Kitty Holmes, who was lucky enough to glimpse these wonders in real life.

Featured in this month’s Import Tuner is the story of Geoffrey Chen, who set out to “recreate a simple, clean and practical VIP-styled [Toyota] Soarer” from his existing Lexus SC 300.

Starting with an imported 2JZ-GE engine, Chen added a JIC Magic body kit, Supra slotted Brembos with Rotora carbon pads, and Blitz Technospeed Z1 wheels. Yet, still he wasn’t satisfied:

During his years researching the capabilities of the 1JZGTE engine, Chen found it could be made to hold about as much power in stock trim as its nearly indestructible 2JZ cousin. Predicated on this knowledge, and after some short conversation with Danny at SIXautoworks, Chen had a request put in overseas with GReddy for one of their T78 single turbo kits. “The kit is so rare, it’s not even kept in stock in the Japanese factories,” Chen explains. “To my knowledge, it’s the only one on an SC in the states, and one of only a handful in the world.”

All in all, though it’s an interesting technical look into a SC 300-to-Soarer conversion, the article is written with a certain verve you don’t often see in a tuner mag. Case in point:

What’s most impressive about Jeff, even more so than the car he built that’s presented on these pages, is that he was able to find that balance between passion and restraint that comes with the realization of having nothing to prove, while recapturing the simple enjoyments that are so fleeting for many of us as we strive for progression in this game.

All in all, this Japanese SC400/Soarer is so dull it almost doesn’t bear mentioning, save for a tagline that could stand as one of the greatest ever:

Seriously, “Mind Cruising” is something that could only come from the Land of the Rising Sun.