Pick of the Day: 1992 Lexus SC300

When Toyota launched the Lexus brand with the all new LS400 luxury sedan in 1989, they completely changed the way the world saw Japanese cars forever. With a single model they not only proved that Japan could make a car as good as Mercedes-Benz, they proved that they could actually make a better car than the people in Stuttgart.

Not to rest on their laurels, they followed up the LS with a car aimed at the GT car buyer. It was built with the same quality as the award-winning LS but was in a more sports car like package. That car was the Lexus SC, launched in 1992 as both an inline 6-cylinder powered LS300 and the V8 powered LS400. Like the LS400, the SC series cars were immediate hit with the press and in showrooms. The cars design being something no one had seen anything like before definitely helped matters and actually ushered in a new design language that was mimicked by many other manufacturers almost overnight. The LS offered everything that cars such as the BMW 6 series, the Mercedes-Benz 560SEC, and the Jaguar XS-S did but in what many people still consider a better built and definitely more reliable car.

The SC series cars also offered something special in the inline 6-cylinder SC300 version of the car, a manual transmission. Think of the SC300 as the worlds best built Toyota Supra and you start to get an idea of what the SC300 is all about. What is kind of crazy is that the SC300 is a much less expensive car to buy than the comparable Supra. If you have the opportunity to get behind the wheel of each car in a side by side comparison, it becomes obvious which one is the better build car. So, you can get more car for less money, not a bad situation.

The Pick of the Day is one of these amazing GT cars, a 1992 Lexus SC300 with the desirable and rare 5-speed manual gearbox that is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealer located in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. (Click the link to view the listing)

The seller describes this SC300 as a meticulously maintained gem from 1992, the first year of production. The seller goes on to say that this SC300 has had only two owners from new. They call it a testament to the enduring quality of these cars. Like all SC300 cars it is powered by the legendary 2JZ-GE 3.0L inline-6 powerplant and backed, as stated before, with a stock 5-speed manual transmission, one of only 1,601 SC300 cars to get this gearbox. It is painted in the original Garnet Red exterior and complemented with a factory tan leather interior.

They go on to state that this SC300 showcases remarkable preservation, both inside and out. The car has covered 123,713 miles but that this example’s impeccable condition suggests otherwise, as it has been cherished and meticulously cared for since its inception. Based on the photos in the ad, the exterior and the interior of this car look to be in amazing condition and show little if no wear whatsoever. We do not know from the description if the paint is original but based on the condition of the interior, I would guess this may well be a completely original SC300.

The engine compartment is much the same with everything clean and in original condition.

I honestly feel that values of the SC300 are way too low, especially when compared to the Supra. The SC300 was Toyota striving to build, and succeeding at it, the world’s greatest GT car. These are cars that are likely to go up in value and are the very definition of a Future Classic that would do well at any RADwood event. The asking price for this SC300 is a crazy affordable $19,900 and if I had any more space I would simply call the dealership offering this car and after some negotiations, wire them the money.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.