Lexus LS: 1st Generation

The latest in Youtube user bajabusta's trip down the Motorweek memory lane is this comparison test between the Lexus LS 400, BMW 740i, Mercedes 400E, Infiniti Q45 & Cadillac STS, divided into two parts:

The Mercedes 400E seemed out of place in the comparison until some research showed that a 1993 S-Class started at $69,900, $13,500 over the most expensive car here (which, ironically, is the Mercedes 400E).

Considering that fifteen years have passed since these cars were brand new, it still amazes me just how timeless that first LS design really is. The rest of these cars have a very dated look.

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Bonus: One other Motorweek segment of note is this footage from the 1992 Tokyo Motor Show, which shows a brief look at the newly introduced Toyota Aristo (otherwise known as the first-gen Lexus GS 300):

Flickr user senti-mental1 spotted, of all things, a pink Lexus LS 400 in San Jose:

One thing's for sure, the gold badging has never looked more appropriate.

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 420SE, Jaguar 4.0, and the BMW 735i:

To think that the Mercedes cost £4000 more than the LS 400, and didn't even come with air conditioning or a radio (mind you, it was the long-wheelbase version). I've read that the luxury brands at the time were fairly complacent, but I had no idea of the extent.

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 Needell:

"The power from the big 32-valve V8 engine comes on as smoothly as the Jaguar, which is saying something. The ride is certainly as good as the Mercedes 420, and the handling on these winding mountain roads is at least the equivalent of a BMW."

I imagine, when comparing the handling to a BMW, he's referring to the 7-series.

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 that's quality advertising.

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 features photos of every step along the way.

This site gets my highest recommendation, it's a labor of love for the author, and it shows on every page.

(Owning a first-gen LS, I've used the tutorials for a few small things, like cleaning the air filter, but because of time and space constraints, I leave most of the other stuff to my trusty mechanic.)