- The 1990 Lexus LS400 was a broadside shot aimed at the European luxury automakers, and it hit home.
- Smooth V-8 power, a comfortable interior, restrained styling, and impeccable reliability made it a winner.
- The original LS400 also successfully launched the Lexus brand, making it one of the most significant automobiles of the 1990s.
Four decades ago, Toyota’s chairman Eji Toyoda directed the full might of his family company towards the creation of a new flagship. The numbers beggar belief: 1400 engineers, 2300 technicians, nearly two million miles of testing, and a billion dollars spent. Six years later, in January of 1989, the LS400 debuted at the Detroit auto show, launching Lexus and changing the luxury car game forever.
This LS400 up for auction on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver is part of Hearst Autos—is a first-year example with just 66,000 miles on the odometer. That’s basically nothing in LS400 terms. The LS400’s 4.0-liter V-8, with an aluminum block and heads, has long proved itself to be durable and smooth in operation. And the early V-8s are non-interference engines, so even if a timing belt does break, it shouldn’t cause major damage.
The two-tone silver paintwork here really outlines a design that has aged in a timeless fashion. Modern Lexus products are a lot more shouty, all sharp angles and big grilles. The LS400 is the epitome of Roosevelt’s “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” and that quiet assurance extends to its very low cabin noise at speed.
Rather famously, Toyota once stacked a tower of champagne glasses on the hood of an LS400 as the wheels spun at 145 mph on a rolling road. The message was simple: Our new flagship is the most polished product we are capable of making. Lexus was putting the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the BMW 7-Series on notice.
However, because the LS400 is a big luxury sedan rather than a sports car, it isn’t the type of collector car that soars in value. Rather, it’s just a really pleasant and reliable machine to drive and enjoy, all class and comfort. Sink into those heated seats, point the nose at the horizon, and let that creamy V-8 purr as it brings you up to speed.
Historically important, lovely to drive, and with an undemanding ownership experience, the original LS400 makes a compelling case as a collector car. This no-reserve auction ends on January 3.
Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.