The Ghost Car--1993 ES300 5 speed--Possibly last one produced, & nicest orig left
09-23-16, 09:09 AM
#1
Rookie
Thread Starter
The Ghost Car--1993 ES300 5 speed--Possibly last one produced, & nicest orig left
Long post--hope you find it a worthwhile read.
New forum member here, but longtime auto enthusiast, classic car business owner, odd duck appreciator, and now Lexus ES fanclub member. About a year ago, I found a really nice '98 ES300 for my signif other to use as her daily, and I liked it so much I ended up buying an '01 ES300 with just 77k miles for myself to drive every day. In addition, I bought a complete black on black '00 ES300 for a parts car, and I already own an immaculate '92 SC400.
Recently, I came across an extremely rare 1993 ES 300 5-speed in excellent overall condition with low miles, and couldn't help myself, so I drove over 3 hours to see it, and ended up buying the car. Details:
* Only 2 owners, with last owner having had it for past 20 years.
* Only 117k original miles
* Driven by the wife back and forth to work (15 miles round trip) for several years
* 0.0% rust on this car.
* Well maintained always (owner had a body shop for 15 years in the 80s)
* 100% all original panels with matching VIN tags on all of them
* 100% original paint in excellent condition
* All new clutch components installed (clutch, PP, throw out, slave cylinders, etc) at 95k miles
* Timing belt & water pump done around 98k miles (although no receipts/stickers to prove, I have no reason not to believe given other care and condition of car)
* Almost everything works, including ice cold A/C
* Options include leather, moon roof, heated seats, CD changer, logo floor & trunk mats, etc
* Orig window sticker ($32,000), all manuals, wheel locks, 3 keys, license bracket, tool kit, etc.
* Completely original and unmodified condition throughout (not even window tint).
The car runs and drives excellent, has brand new tires just installed, brand new oil change, and made the 225 mile trip back without any issues at all. The entire interior is in incredible condition. The only items I've noted so far are 1) power antenna doesn't retract, 2) Speedo and Tach needles are out, and 3) fog lights appear to be out. I've spent between 30-40 hours doing a deep, comprehensive detail and the car is in truly amazing condition. If not for a few light imperfections on the exterior, it would be almost indistinguishable from new.
As we know, the 5-speed version of this car is extremely rare, only being produced in 1992 and 1993. I've researched this forum a lot, and it appears from what I could find that around 2200 5-speed cars were produced in total. Another member said they received a letter from Lexus saying that about 1395 5 speeds were made in 1992. If this is correct, it would mean about 800 5 speeds were produced in 1993, out of over 37000 ES300s produced. This, however, contrasts with other claims I've read here that only about 200 or so '93 5 speeds were produced (that is also the number the previous owner believed were made). If anyone has any more definitive information on the number of '93 5 speeds produced, I'd truly appreciate them posting it here.
Either way, the interesting thing about this car is that, according to the info/VIN sticker on the driver's door, this car was produced in June of 1993, at the very end of the production run for the '93 model year. That makes me believe that this was a car purposely ordered with the 5 speed (vs being just a dealer demo model for the showroom), and also makes me think it could be one of, if not THE very last 5 speed ES300 produced. Please correct my logic on this if you feel it's flawed.
Setting aside the whole "Is it desirable?" argument, this has to be one of the rarest ES300s ever made, as well as potentially the last of its kind produced. It is also in simply outstanding condition, with very low miles for the year, with a great owner history and all original equipment and documents (aside from original purchase agreement). If there were a museum of all different Lexus models, this car would belong in it.
If there are any more articles or information discussing the ES300 5 speed in greater detail by auto websites, magazines, etc, I'd love for members to post links here. One of the best things about forums such as these are that enthusiasts can find details and knowledge not commonly available elsewhere on the vehicles they care about most.
In the meantime, I'm going to post a bunch of pictures of the car for your enjoyment. I look forward to your comments and discussion about this "Ghost Car" ES...
New forum member here, but longtime auto enthusiast, classic car business owner, odd duck appreciator, and now Lexus ES fanclub member. About a year ago, I found a really nice '98 ES300 for my signif other to use as her daily, and I liked it so much I ended up buying an '01 ES300 with just 77k miles for myself to drive every day. In addition, I bought a complete black on black '00 ES300 for a parts car, and I already own an immaculate '92 SC400.
Recently, I came across an extremely rare 1993 ES 300 5-speed in excellent overall condition with low miles, and couldn't help myself, so I drove over 3 hours to see it, and ended up buying the car. Details:
* Only 2 owners, with last owner having had it for past 20 years.
* Only 117k original miles
* Driven by the wife back and forth to work (15 miles round trip) for several years
* 0.0% rust on this car.
* Well maintained always (owner had a body shop for 15 years in the 80s)
* 100% all original panels with matching VIN tags on all of them
* 100% original paint in excellent condition
* All new clutch components installed (clutch, PP, throw out, slave cylinders, etc) at 95k miles
* Timing belt & water pump done around 98k miles (although no receipts/stickers to prove, I have no reason not to believe given other care and condition of car)
* Almost everything works, including ice cold A/C
* Options include leather, moon roof, heated seats, CD changer, logo floor & trunk mats, etc
* Orig window sticker ($32,000), all manuals, wheel locks, 3 keys, license bracket, tool kit, etc.
* Completely original and unmodified condition throughout (not even window tint).
The car runs and drives excellent, has brand new tires just installed, brand new oil change, and made the 225 mile trip back without any issues at all. The entire interior is in incredible condition. The only items I've noted so far are 1) power antenna doesn't retract, 2) Speedo and Tach needles are out, and 3) fog lights appear to be out. I've spent between 30-40 hours doing a deep, comprehensive detail and the car is in truly amazing condition. If not for a few light imperfections on the exterior, it would be almost indistinguishable from new.
As we know, the 5-speed version of this car is extremely rare, only being produced in 1992 and 1993. I've researched this forum a lot, and it appears from what I could find that around 2200 5-speed cars were produced in total. Another member said they received a letter from Lexus saying that about 1395 5 speeds were made in 1992. If this is correct, it would mean about 800 5 speeds were produced in 1993, out of over 37000 ES300s produced. This, however, contrasts with other claims I've read here that only about 200 or so '93 5 speeds were produced (that is also the number the previous owner believed were made). If anyone has any more definitive information on the number of '93 5 speeds produced, I'd truly appreciate them posting it here.
Either way, the interesting thing about this car is that, according to the info/VIN sticker on the driver's door, this car was produced in June of 1993, at the very end of the production run for the '93 model year. That makes me believe that this was a car purposely ordered with the 5 speed (vs being just a dealer demo model for the showroom), and also makes me think it could be one of, if not THE very last 5 speed ES300 produced. Please correct my logic on this if you feel it's flawed.
Setting aside the whole "Is it desirable?" argument, this has to be one of the rarest ES300s ever made, as well as potentially the last of its kind produced. It is also in simply outstanding condition, with very low miles for the year, with a great owner history and all original equipment and documents (aside from original purchase agreement). If there were a museum of all different Lexus models, this car would belong in it.
If there are any more articles or information discussing the ES300 5 speed in greater detail by auto websites, magazines, etc, I'd love for members to post links here. One of the best things about forums such as these are that enthusiasts can find details and knowledge not commonly available elsewhere on the vehicles they care about most.
In the meantime, I'm going to post a bunch of pictures of the car for your enjoyment. I look forward to your comments and discussion about this "Ghost Car" ES...
09-23-16, 01:39 PM
#7
Lexus Champion
What an amazing find you are one lucky bugger the 3VZ-FE with the 5-speed is an amazing combination very jealous.
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09-23-16, 03:18 PM
#8
Rookie
Thread Starter
Thanks, I know you're right. Truly, every door jamb is spotless, and I feel almost guilty even sitting in the interior as nice as its been preserved. It drives great, too, although it's a big sluggish under hard acceleration, so I plan to start easy with some Techron, then perhaps a Seafoam treatment to see if it will get back more of the "zip" I know this car has hidden in there.
09-23-16, 03:34 PM
#9
Lexus Champion
Cut the top off of the AFM, rotate the assembly 3 clicks clockwise (MARK FIRST!) then advance the ignition timing to 14 degrees. You'll get 10-15HP for free. A good tune up item is new plugs and wires if that has not been done.
09-24-16, 09:17 AM
#12
This is incredibly clean, very jealous. I understand why you like the ES so much, my 2001 is still probably the favorite Lexus I've owned. As far as production numbers, I wish I could help but I would assume the number remaining is significantly lower as the few 5 speeds I do see tend to be in poor shape
09-24-16, 05:56 PM
#14
Rookie
Thread Starter
That is most definitely a fact. I love driving the '01 ES, it just does everything so gracefully and effortlessly (well, except accelerate up an on ramp with the AC blasting...lol), and my GF's '98 is just as fun to drive (and the AVS really works, as she hates it in full "sport" setting...hahaha). In fact, part of the reason I can allow myself to sell my SC400 is because all 3 of these cars are so easy to enjoy, even if they aren't really "classic" cars...
09-25-16, 01:59 PM
#15
Amazing find; it sounds like you have a nice lineup of ES cars now. That example is definitely rare, especially since it's all original, too.
Side note, is that a classic Plymouth in your garage?
Side note, is that a classic Plymouth in your garage?