Rare Rides: The 1999 Lexus SC 400, Predecessor to The Lame One

Corey Lewis
by Corey Lewis

You know what? The Rare Rides series has never before featured a Lexus vehicle. The other day, a helpful commenter provided a link to an extra clean SC 400 for sale, so here we are with our first Lexus installment of Rare Rides.

Shortly after Lexus debuted in late 1989 for the 1990 model year with the midsize ES 250 (not impressive) and full-size LS 400 (that shooketh Mercedes-Benz and other established luxury marques), there followed news of a third prong in the fork of Lexus’ brand offerings: A big coupe, targeted specifically at Americans. There were many luxury coupes on the market at the time, namely Japanese competition from Acura’s Legend. The Eunos Cosmo from Mazda would’ve been a competitor as well, but that one never made it to North America. Sad!

Development on the SC began in 1987, and Toyota gave the project to its Calty Design Research facility in California. With a smooth, aerodynamic design much different to Japanese coupes of the Eighties, production started in 1991 in Japan. The SC was produced alongside the Toyota Soarer, a virtually identical version sold in markets where Lexus was not offered.

The first model to debut was the SC 400, for the model year 1992. The 400 used the same 4.0-liter 1UZ V8 as found in the LS 400 sedan and debuted first as the brand’s flagship coupe offering. Following later in the year was the less expensive SC 300. That one was much more Supra-like in its character, with the 3.0-liter 2JZ inline-six shared with the upcoming A80 Supra in 1993. SC and Supra shared a platform, though the SC had a five-inch wheelbase advantage for reasons like coming with length and luxury. When the production Supra appeared, it was 13 inches shorter than the SC. For customers of the SC 300, a manual five-speed transmission shared with naturally aspirated Supras was available, along with the four-speed automatic that was mandated on the SC 400.

Changes were few on the SC, as it seemed Lexus didn’t quite know how to revise their coupe once it was in production. 1996 saw an upgrade in the SC 400’s power, 260 horses from a prior 250. The next year, VVT-i arrived, and V8 thrust increased to 290 horses. Inline-six buyers made do with 225 horses throughout the SC 300’s life. 1997 was the last time buyers could select a manual transmission in their SC 300, and in 1998 the four-speed automatic gained another forward gear. The transmission update also brought with it a front and rear lighting revision, which carried the SC through its final model year in 2000. By the end of its long nine-year run, sales slumped against other coupes which had moved on from their early Nineties designs or been canceled altogether.

In 2001 the new (not coupe) SC 430 debuted, which was a step backward in most ways apart from appeal to elderly Floridians. I’ve harped on that topic before though, so I won’t rehash today. At least the LC 500 presently exists as Lexus’ flagship coupe and is utterly spectacular. Likely my next car purchase, too.

Today’s Rare Ride is one of the dwindling number of SCs still in excellent condition. The 400 is certainly easier to find in a preserved state than the 300, as its Supra-adjacent nature and parts meant most were destroyed in the 2000s by The Youths. Our example today isn’t the commenter-provided one, as that one sold already. However, it’s the same late-run style, in Corey-approved pearl over tan. With 126,000 miles, it asks an optimistic $19,900.

[Images: Lexus]

Corey Lewis
Corey Lewis

Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.

More by Corey Lewis

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 86 comments
  • Lightspeed Lightspeed on Apr 15, 2021

    Lovely car the SC3/400, that design will always be timeless. My big bro has the SC430 and driving that car convinced me I had to have a Lexus. I bought a GS400, which after eleven years owned I still love. Funny thing about the marketplace though (around here at least) SC400 are worth nothing, SC430 command surprising prices, GS400s ask slightly more than nothing and Supra MKiv, well, no-one here would pay $75,000 for one. Either way, a Lexus before about 2003 with a 1UZFE or a 2JZ is a heck of a car. Lexus hasn't been as good since.

  • Marnied Marnied on May 25, 2021

    I have a clean 1998 sc 300 (automatic) with about 210k miles on it that I’m getting ready to sell. My dad owned it before me and gifted it to me several years ago. I am trying to do research on what I should list for- I know the Supra motor makes it desirable but that’s about all. Help?

  • Ronin It's one thing to stay tried and true to loyal past customers; you'll ensure a stream of revenue from your installed base- maybe every several years or so.It's another to attract net-new customers, who are dazzled by so many other attractive offerings that have more cargo capacity than that high-floored 4-Runner bed, and are not so scrunched in scrunchy front seats.Like with the FJ Cruiser: don't bother to update it, thereby saving money while explaining customers like it that way, all the way into oblivion. Not recognizing some customers like to actually have right rear visibility in their SUVs.
  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
Next