CarBrandLogos archive · Lexus · 1991

LexusSC

Sketched in California, powered from the tuner catalogue, and ruined by a folding roof.

Photo: Altair78 · CC BY 3.0

The story

A defining chapter in Lexus history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Lexus SC, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

The SC was designed at Calty, Toyota's studio in southern California, and it shows. Where Japanese luxury coupes of the period tended towards sharp creases, the SC was all continuous surface, with almost no straight lines and door handles recessed into the flanks so as not to interrupt the shape. It reached production in 1991 on the platform of the Toyota Soarer, which was the same car with a different badge in Japan.

Lexus SC430 02 · Hatsukari715 · Public domain

Design and engineering

Two engines were offered. The SC 400 used the 4.0-litre V8 from the LS, which made it a smooth and rapid grand tourer. The SC 300 used the 3.0-litre 2JZ-GE straight-six and could be had with a manual gearbox, and because that engine block is the naturally aspirated sibling of the turbocharged unit in the Toyota Supra, the SC 300 became an unlikely favourite among tuners buying cheap chassis with expensive potential.

2001-2005 Lexus SC 430 convertible 02 · OSX · Public domain

Andre Lotterer 2010 Super GT Fuji SC 430

In production

The second generation of 2001 replaced the coupe with the SC 430, a folding hardtop convertible aimed at a wealthy and older buyer. It was luxurious and beautifully made, and its styling has appeared on a great many lists of the least attractive cars of the decade. Production ran to 2010, after which the far more confident LC took the slot.

Andre Lotterer 2010 Super GT Fuji SC 430 · Andre_Lotterer_2010_Super_GT_Fuji_400km_qualify_Super_Lap.jpg: Morio derivative work: Altair78 (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0

At a glance