Lexus LS: 1st Generation (1989-1994)

Just in case you didn’t know how Jeremy Clarkson felt about Lexus, his position should be abundantly clear after viewing this excerpt from his new DVD Thriller:

Sure, we’ve heard him refer to the SC 430 as the “worst car currently available”, and last month he refused to even admit he liked the IS-F, but blowing up an LS 400 with a tank makes it a vendetta.

I’d launch into an all-out debunk of his points, but in light of the Tesla fiasco this week, and it’s quite clear Clarkson’s a caricature, with little regard for reason. Makes for good viewing, but little else.

Welcome to a new feature here at TPP, the Wallpaper of the Week! From now on, every Wednesday will bring a brand new desktop image from every era of Lexus, from the ES 250 right down to the LF-A, and everything in between.

This first edition, which stands as one of my favorite desktop images of all time, is a visual progression through each Lexus LS model:

This desktop is pitch-perfect, right down to the dark-to-light paint colors. I love the sense of continuity, though it also illustrates just how radical the change from the LS 430 to the LS 460 really was.

Enjoy!

Top Gear was in top form for the start of their eleventh season last night, turning a very entertaining episode that managed to squeeze a ‘93-’94 Lexus LS 400 into their first challenge of the year. Each presenter had to choose a sub-£1000 used car that could replace the Vauxhall Astra as the British Police car. Hilarity ensues:

I wonder if James May was influenced by Tom Ford’s modification of the LS 400 for his Fifth Gear review of the LS 460?

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.