NX Commercial from Lexus Canada Features Old School Flashback
Funny fact -- Lexus Canada asked if I still had my (long-gone) LS 400 for this spot.
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A Brief History of Lexus
From WardsAuto.
Kevin · July 23rd, 2019
Matt Farah’s Lexus LS 400 Reaches 1,000,000 Miles
Odometer permanently stuck at 999,999.
Kevin · February 22nd, 2019
Video: Driving the 2018 Lexus LS in Japan
Moccasins and midnight duels.
Kevin · October 20th, 2017
Lexus History: Allard P4 Prototype Based on Original LS 400 Up for Sale
This prototype is one of only three built, and the last one remaining.
Kevin · May 15th, 2017
Lexus History: The Launch of the Original LS 400
Did you know that the global press launch of the original LS was in Germany?
Kevin · March 12th, 2015
Driving the 1990 Lexus LS 400 and Lexus LFA Back-to-Back
To mark the occasion of Lexus' 25th anniversary, Tim Pollard from *Car Magazine* drove the original LS 400 and then jumped to the Lexus LFA.
Kevin · February 26th, 2015
Remembering the First Generation Lexus LS 400
Ben Hsu over at Japanese Nostalgic Car has a thoughtful article on the origins of the first-generation Lexus LS 400: Toyota USA was established on October 31, 1957. Thirty-two years later, in October of 1989, it would change the face of the automotive world once again. The Lexus LS 400 is officially a Japanese nostalgic …
Kevin · November 3rd, 2014
Lexus Taiwan Recreates Original LS Commercial with 2013 LS 600hL
Lexus Taiwan has released a commercial for the 2013 LS that brings it back to the very beginning of the brand.
Kevin · November 14th, 2012
Lexus LS 400 Honored in Car Magazine’s 50 Greatest Cars of the Past Fifty Years
Car Magazine has put together a list of the 50 greatest cars of the past fifty years, and the first-generation Lexus LS 400 placed 40th overall.
Kevin · October 19th, 2012
First Generation Lexus LS 400 & LFA Together
By way of the Lexus Europe Twitter account comes this photo of a Lexus LFA and a mint first-generation LS 400.
Kevin · February 26th, 2012
Lexus LS 400 Included in Edmunds 100 Greatest Cars of All Time
While it’s impossible to agree with all their choices, Edmunds’ list of the 100 Greatest Cars of All Time was smart enough to include the original 1990 Lexus LS 400 at 49th overall.
Kevin · August 31st, 2011
Lexus Recreates Original LS 400 Commercial with LS 460
Welcome to the power of the Internet — after seeing a Lexus owner’s unsuccessful attempt to recreate the original Balance LS 400 commercial with his LS 460, Lexus and their ad agency Team One decided to try out the experiment themselves: There we have it, proof that the LS 460 is a worthy ancestor of …
Kevin · March 19th, 2011
Lexus LS 460 Owner Recreates Original LS 400 Commercial
Here’s a video of a Lexus LS 460 owner who decided to recreate the original “stacked champagne glasses” LS 400 commercial in his driveway — let’s all watch in absolute horror: It might have been a good idea for him to review the original commercial before setting out with his experiment: Never mind that there’s …
Kevin · March 18th, 2011
1992 Lexus LS 400 Commercial: Steel Plate Drum
Let’s switch gears from all-LFA-all-the-time and take a look at this Lexus LS 400 commercial from 1992: I had never seen this commercial before — and it’s a perfect illustration of how The Hard Way is something Lexus has always subscribed to.
Kevin · January 27th, 2011
Comparison: 1990 Lexus LS 400 vs. 2010 Lexus LS 600hL
Lexus is celebrating their 20th anniversary in the United Kingdom, and to show how far the brand has come in twenty years, they’ve released a video comparing the first-gen LS & the current LS hybrid: Here’s a chart that details the differences, just in case they went by too fast: In some ways, it’s hard …
Kevin · December 13th, 2010
Rainbow Lexus LS
Once and a while, you find something so offensive on the Internet that the only way to reduce the anger is to share it — and that’s how I feel about the multi-colored first-gen Lexus LS in this video: The worst part? This LS probably still runs perfectly.
Kevin · December 10th, 2010
First British Lexus LS 400 Returns Home
Here’s a neat story from blogger Mike CJ that combines the first-ever UK Lexus LS 400, Twitter and a whole heap of coincidence — here’s a quote but I recommend reading the full article: Way back in 1990, I was still in my 20’s and had recently been appointed to a role as a Training …
Kevin · July 28th, 2010
The General Lee(xus)
I’m pretty sure no one ever expected to see a Lexus LS 400 painted up like this: This is the General Lee(xus), and it has quite an interesting story — turns out this old LS is an entry into Bangers4BEN, a charity event in the UK for “helping the automotive and related industries provide care and support for …
Kevin · July 22nd, 2010
Lexus LS 400 Hooning with Fifth Gear
Just before using it as a prop in a Fifth Gear segment, presenter Jonny Smith decided to give this LS 400 a most un-Lexus-like farewell: A twenty-year-old car that sat untouched in a barn for two years and started up no problem — and this is how it’s rewarded: That’s just plain sad.
Kevin · July 6th, 2010
Lexus LS Generations Desktop Wallpapers
This week’s Autocar review of a 1990 LS 400 reminded me of a desktop wallpaper I’ve had sitting on my computer for quite some time: Select Resolution: 1680×1050 | 1440×900 | 1280×1024 | 1280×800 | 1024×768 I had featured a very similar image some time back, which still stands as one of my favorite Lexus …
Kevin · June 5th, 2010
Autocar Drives 20-year-old Lexus LS 400
In a nod to their 20th anniversary in the UK, Lexus put automotive journalists behind the wheel of an old LS 400 at the annual Society of Motor Manufacturers Test day. Purchased off eBay, the LS 400 had 103,000 miles on the odometer and still plenty of life — here’s a quick review from Autocar: …
Kevin · June 1st, 2010
Lexus Wallpaper of the Week: LS Generations Part Two
To celebrate Lexus’ 20th anniversary, Club Lexus member Encore888 created a desktop wallpaper showcasing the four generations of the LS: 1680×1050 | 1440×900 | 1280×1024 | 1280×800 | 1024×768 For comparison, there was a similar wallpaper featured last year, though with this head-on angle, it’s much easier to see how each generation built on the …
Kevin · April 9th, 2009
Classic Top Gear 1990: Lexus LS 400 vs. Mercedes 420SE vs. Jaguar 4.0 vs. BMW 735i
Every once and a while, a classic Lexus LS 400 clip will show up on Youtube, showing the car up against its competitors, and it always amazes me just how throughly Lexus thought out their first model. Here we have a 1990 video clip from Top Gear, putting the LS 400 up against the Mercedes …
Kevin · March 18th, 2008
1989 Lexus LS 400 Featured in Old Top Gear Episode
It’s hard to discount the power of Youtube when you can watch a 1989 episode of Top Gear detailing the introduction of the then-newly released Lexus LS 400 (jump ahead to 1:26 to get there directly): Not a full-on review, which is a slight disappointment, but the praise is astounding, let me quote presenter Tiff …
Kevin · November 30th, 2007
Classic 1992 Lexus LS Commercial: Money in the Bank
As an LS 400 owner, I always get a kick out of seeing the old commercials pop up on Youtube: It’s interesting that Lexus has maintained a very distinctive look to their advertising over the years. Save for the grainy VHS look and the car featured, this commercial could easily appear on TV today. Now …
Kevin · August 15th, 2007
Site of the Week: LexLS.com
For any old-school LS 400 owners handy with a torque wrench and a willingness to get their hands dirty, there is no site better than Lexls.com: This site is jampacked with a range of useful information, with everything from changing your oil to replacing your timing belt/water pump. Each tutorial is extremely well written and …
Kevin · July 21st, 2007
Repurposed 1991 Lexus involved in Drug Bust
How do you transport $1,000,000 dollars of cocaine in a single car? Use a 1991 Lexus LS 400: …nine kilograms of cocaine were found in a 1991 Lexus with Arizona license plates. “This is close to a million dollars in cocaine,” Jones said Friday, holding up long plastic-wrapped logs of cocaine that had been concealed …
Kevin · July 7th, 2007
Classic 1990 LS 400 Commercials
Someone must have been digging through their old VCR tapes, because here’s two VHS quality commercials from the LS 400’s inaugural advertising campaign: Funny story about the first commercial, taken from the book Lexus: The Relentless Pursuit: What the ad didn’t say — and what Team One [Lexus’ Advertising Agency] members didn’t know until later …
Kevin · June 26th, 2007
Autospeed Aero Tests the 1991 LS 400
One of the major design considerations when the first LS 400 was being prototyped was reducing its drag co-efficent (Cd), or the amount of wind turbulence the car experienced when in motion. A low drag helps with fuel efficiency and reduces the amount of energy needed to keep the car moving, and when the car …
Kevin · June 22nd, 2007
How to Restore a First Generation Lexus LS 400
Wheeler Dealers was a british TV show with a very simple premise: buy a beat-up classic, restore it, and sell it off for a profit. In one episode, they tackle a first generation LS 400 (judging by the rims, a 91-92 model), purchased from some poor sod for £1300. Here’s the first part to whet …
Kevin · June 14th, 2007
The 1955 Lexus F-100
It doesn’t look much like a Lexus, but this restored 1955 Ford F-100 owes a great deal to the LS400. Owners Terry & Terri Altman used the ‘91 Lexus LS400 1UZFE engine, along with its steering column and instrumentation in their restoration. As for why, here’s a quote from their interview with Custom Classic Trucks: …
Kevin · June 4th, 2007
Start
It all started with the LS400. I remember the first time I noticed one, admittedly mistaking it for a Mercedes, only to see that silver L and think I’d seen something rare, like a Ferrari or a Lamborgini. Of course, that wasn’t the case, but the truth impressed me even more, a Japanese Luxury brand, …
Kevin · May 29th, 2007