Yahoo Autos Future Classic: Lexus SC
The fourth-generation Toyota Supra and its 2JZ inline-six engine get the headlines, but the automaker released a few other models with Supra underpinnings and the same iconic powerplant. Among them was the original Lexus SC, also known in Japan as the Toyota Soarer, a two-door touring car that sold with either the inline-six or a V8 engine for a few magical years in the 1990s.
The '90s were a great decade for car enthusiasts, as the period yielded several luxury touring coupes like the Acura Legend and Mercedes-Benz CL. Toyota’s young Lexus brand needed a competitor, so the automaker tasked its California design team with the project, creating the original SC in the process. Though the car would evolve into a quirky convertible later in life, the first-generation models are already deep into modern classic territory.
Why is the Lexus SC a Future Classic?
We now look back at the SC 300 as a solid tuning platform, thanks to its 2JZ inline-six, but its initial appeal relied heavily on its styling. The car had almost no straight lines, and it was impressively aerodynamic. Lexus also offered the SC 300 with a five-speed manual transmission, which today is the most desirable and hard-to-find configuration. The V8-powered SC 400 isn’t quite as popular today, but its Lexus LS engine and sleek touring body style are hard to ignore.
Lexus sold the first-generation SC for more than nine years, giving it an extremely long lifecycle by 1990s standards. It remained largely the same over that period, getting only minor updates to its exterior styling. Though it shared its naturally-aspirated engine with the Supra, the SC 300 version had a few more horsepower and a more luxurious interior. Lexus leaned into that positioning later in the car’s lifecycle, removing the manual transmission option after the 1997 model year.
While it enjoyed a long production run, unmodified examples of the SC 300, especially models with the manual transmission, are hard to find. Once people discovered that they could have 90 percent of the Supra experience without the Supra price tag, they began snapping up the cars for drifting, racing and other projects, leaving many examples in pieces or otherwise trashed. These cars were also seemingly popular on the corporate rental circuit, as many have exceedingly high miles with decent-condition bodies.
