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A convertible, hardtop, desirable car: Lexus SC
A convertible, hardtop, desirable car: Lexus SC
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The Lexus SC series is a personal luxury coupé sold by Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota. The first generation in 1991 was the SC 400. In 1992, the SC 300 came out as a smaller engined version. Both models were in production until 2000. A second-generation model, the SC 430, went into production in 2001.
The Lexus SC is a front engine, rear-wheel drive design and was sold with either I6 or V8 engines. The first and second generation SC coupes were sold in Japan as the Toyota Soarer until 2006, when the Lexus marque was introduced.
In the summer of 1990, following the successful debut of Lexus a year earlier, Toyota decided that work would begin on a mid-size Lexus coupe to compete with the luxury coupes of other marques like Mercedes-Benz and Acura. At that point, Toyota had no genuine luxury coupes in existence. Initially the Japanese Toyota Soarer was selected to serve as the basis for the new Lexus coupe, much like the Lexus ES 250 was based on the Toyota Camry, but the Soarer's design at the time was considered "boxy"-looking and outdated. Since the coupe was going to be targeted towards the American market, the project was handed over to the Calty Design Research center in California.
The American Calty design team took a revolutionary approach to designing the car, using duracluster molding shapes to design the body, and working 3-dimensionally instead of the traditional 2-D sketch approach. As described by design chiefs Denis Campbell and Erwin Luihe, the result was a car that was based on "emotion and feeling" rather than linear aesthetics. The design of the coupe was considered revolutionary, possessing almost no straight edges and built on curvature. Some critics found the design of the new Lexus coupe to be very distinctive compared to other cars at the time; later, the SC design was considered influential in the development of automotive designs that followed.[1]
* Lexus SC 400 dealer introduction video, May 1991 at YouTube Starting 3 minutes into the clip, this video contains archive footage by Calty team members discussing how the car was designed.
The SC 400 debuted on June 1, 1991 in the United States as a 1992 model. The SC 400's 4.0 L V8 1UZ-FE, the same engine as used in the LS 400, was reported to have cost over $400,000,000 in research and development. In July of 1992, the SC 300, a smaller engined brother to the SC 400, premiered in the United States. The SC 300 was equipped with a 3.0 L inline 6 2JZ-GE.
The SC 400 was honored as the Motor Trend Import Car of the Year for 1993. It also made Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 1992 through 1998. Owing to its advanced design, the first generation SC lasted in production until July 7, 2000, a span of over 9 years. This production cycle was quite long compared to the average car of the 1990s, which was being redesigned every 3-4 years to keep up with the changing styling of automobiles. Even with the SC's long production cycle, only minor exterior changes were made. New tail lighting and a modified spoiler design was part of the mid-cycle vehicle refresh. A front grille was added in 1997 to provide increased airflow into the engine.
The original 1991-92 engines were rated at 225 HP/210 ft·lbf for the SC 300 and 250 HP/260 ft·lbf for the SC 400. In 1996, the SC 400's engine design was upgraded to 260 hp from 250 hp. In 1998, both the SC 300 and 400 were upgraded with VVT-i and thus the ratings were raised to 290 hp/300 ft·lbf of torque for the SC 400 and 225 hp/220 ft·lbf of torque for the SC 300. Tests conducted on the new engines showed an acceleration for the SC 400 of 0-60 mph in 6.0 seconds, and for the SC 300 an acceleration of 0-60 mph in 7.5 seconds [1][2].
The first generation SC coupes were assembled at Toyota's Higashifuji Technical Center in Motomatchi, Japan.
Lexus showcased its new sports convertible, the SC 430, at the Paris Motor Show in 2000, and the car entered production the following year. Power was provided by a 4.3 L 3UZ-FE V8 engine mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. This produces 0-60 runs around 6 seconds using the same engine found in the Lexus LS.
Lexus designers from Europe and Japan worked together to create the convertible's sleek, streamlined design. The car features a retractable aluminium hardtop, all-leather interior, and 18 in alloy wheels. It can seat four and has a base price of US$63,825. Standard luxury features include Espresso Walnut or Bird's Eye Maple wood trim, a Mark Levinson premium sound system, DVD-based navigation system, and headlamp washers.
Competitors include the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, Cadillac XLR, and Jaguar XK, and BMW 6-series.
In 2004, Lexus unveiled the Lexus SC Pebble Beach Edition, a limited-production model of the SC. The special edition SC is produced in partnership with the Pebble Beach Company, and features a unique exterior and interior color combination which changes with each model year. For model years 2004, 2005, and 2006, production of the Pebble Beach edition was limited to 400 units. Each Lexus SC Pebble Beach edition coupe exhibits special badging (featuring the Lone Cypress logo) on the front fenders, center console, and floor mats. For the 2006 model, a rear spoiler and spider alloy wheels are also included.
In 2004 and 2005, J.D. Power and Associates' Initial Quality Survey awarded the SC 430 as the highest ranked premium luxury vehicle.[2][3] Kelley Blue Book gave the SC 430 its Best to Hold Value Award in 2002.[4]
Currently, production of the SC 430 occurs at the Kanji (Kanto Jidosha) assembly site in Japan.
In 2006 the SC 430 was entered in the (Super GT) race series in the GT500 class (cars with approximately 500 horsepower). Extensively modified from the factory car, the engine used is a modified version of the SC 430's 3UZ-FE V8 that was also used in the Toyota Supra race car from previous years.
The new SC 430 based race cars were immediately competitive with former GT500 champion Juichi Wakisaka and no.2 driver Andre Lotterer driving the Open Interface TOM's SC to victory at the opening round at Suzuka giving the SC 430 its first victory on its debut race. Juichi Wakisaka and Andre Lotterer also won the GT500 class championship during the same year.
