scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

of course, limited production numbers (compared to US market) for the Toyota Soarer/Lexus SC430 JP and the GT Race cars are out there too. Just thought I'd throw some of these in as well!

TooCoolSC

Wow! What a presentation. Seems like you should be paid for this much time and effort! Fantastic.....!

cjs18

A very interesting collection of SC lore for certain. Thanks for assembling and sharing it. I guess my plain Jane '02 is lucky to have some siblings with such exclusive pedigrees...

KBALL

Nice post!

Upon further review...i'm not a big fan of the red interiors. Perhaps im in the minority

mrblister

Wow what a thread . I am fortunate to have the 2005 Pebble Beach The Best car I have ever owned .

KaiserSea1

Again a great post but... Here it comes... Lazy Lexus failed to create a special edition in 10 years and I refuse to give them a pass for calling color and trim combos or a set of luggage an effort worth noting. Also not a big fan of red interiors, a big fan of blacked out headlights, but a special edition, NO WAY!

Where is my twin turbo, TRD like suspension or body mods, how about at least an upgraded sound system. Lexus did nothing special with the car after creating it. This car has so much possibility, and to just slap some name plates and paint, BS!!! Thursting for an AMG, M, STI, Shelby, F, something to make these gorgeous cars worthy of some factory love and we get colors??? Not 1 extra HP, Come on you lazy good for nothing engineers.

And to close it out, one last chance to bring this car to another level and the Eternal Jewel gets what? Custom Colors!!!! AAARRRGGHH. Really you could not stick a Toms Supercharger in one and offer it as a factory option. Did it take so much time making pebble beach floor mats, you could not improve the exhaust, and do some damn body enhancements.

I have a pebble beach ES 10 years old across the street and it is the same BS. Lexus owes us. Dont celebrate mediocrity.

But really SC, Great Post

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

Red is certainly not for everyone. I never thought I would own a red interior car till I saw the 2007 PB in person. The color is so striking. If you haven't seen it in person or been in one...the pics just don't do it justice. I came from a red/ecru into this. I liked red exteriors but certainly not interiors till I saw it in person. To each his/her own, right?

Kaiser-I often wonder (not just this post) why you even have an SC? Aside from the free Rolex, AK47, superman costume and whatever else you found in the car, why keep it? Most of your posts are about what the SC IS NOT? Doesn't sound like you are happy at all. Hey man-news flash for you: Lexus decided not to put a Tom's SC in our cars. Also news-they called changing the tranny and lights a "major refresh" in 2006. I know, I know. I get your point, but it's all we got.

Once again, it's all we got. The ES is even LESS of a special edition. They made 6,000 units of that!!!! Do you think the "coach edition" or "ulimate luxury editions" are truly special editions? I believe you paid low $20's for your LB and got a great deal on it if I remember correctly. Would you have bought a car double that if Lexus came out with a SC-F in 2006 with 500hp and different colors? It probably would have been $110k. Perhaps you are in line for the LFA? Why didn't you saddle up and get a newer one or buy a modded out SC? Or a Supra TT? And oh, by the way...A SL500 owner can easily put (ebay has them for $800) AMG wheels and change their emblems out on their car to put AMG on them or just buy the AMG sport package and presto-instant SL55!! It's all relative. A SL55 was $120k, twice the price of our cars. A SL65 was $175k. You can but a SC, LS and LX for that!!! How many Mustang GT's have you seen with "shelby clone" stuff on it? Do a search on eBay, you'd be surprised how many wannabes there are out there. At least the SC didn't pretend to be something it wasn't. Your not even comparing apples to pineapples.

It's like being on a Carnival Cruise and complaining about not being able to do much on land, running out of time, feeling "locked down" on board. You knew it was a "cruise" and there would be limited time on land...why did you book a cruise then???

You have often spoke very highly of the Astons and other great, much much much more expensive cars and often complained about the SC. I too dream of the same cars as you. Why not trade LB in? Get an Aston, or a Maseratti or a Bentley Continental GTC. A G37 convertible would give you much more driving pleasure too. I don't get you man. You also dropped all the money into your new CTS-V and was considering the ISF thing, but I didn't hear you consider dropping a SC into Lucky Bastard? What about an aggressive kit like some of the geniuses have on here and a supercharger for LB? There you go...exhaust, intake, SC, and a nice lowered stance with a kit and BINGO-you got your SC race car. I could understand if you have modded the hell out of your Lucky Bastard and are frustrated because there is nothing more---but you have tintend tails, a new nav disc, wheels and your little iPad hookup. Not much modding on your end. You are at STAGE ONE of the mod spectrum my friend! Thanks for your post, but somehow I think you love just playing devil's advocate/nelly naysayer more than appreciating our cars. Either way, it's a forum and that's what they are all about! This post is not necessarily a celebration more so than an education of a Pebble Beach Edition which in my opinion (some PB's more than others as discussed above) is a unique car and worth discussing. You mean to tell me you don't think 11 unique options on the 2005 PB is different enough? Different wheels, front lights, paint, interior, badges, engine cover, etc etc are not significant enough to be called a special edition? Most PB's were more than just a different interior color and luggage. Honestly, have you ever been in and truly examined a Pebble Beach, Neiman Marcus or any of the cars above?

mrblister

A proper re direct from scdroptop. I am with you . In this day and age of every car expected to redesign every year is not sustainable. I remember in the old days 50 years ago September was a really big deal when the new cars came out , Then the big list of all the accessories you could get were like power steering, power brakes, air cond, electric windows, locks, autronic head light dimmer special engines options etc etc . In those days the cars were all stripped down so the average joe could afford to buy the entry level care no radio no air etc etc. Now all of the options are mostly included so the only way to up grade is buy a Special Edition or load your car up with aftermarket stuff if available. I chose to buy the special edition 2005 and was very carfull in my selection of aftermarket mods. i wanted to make my car special with out making it over the top. In my opinion I succeded.

Modding your car is a very personal thing. Since I bought mine new the model was my choice not motivated by money I paid the full price and figured I would just keep it forever. Every time I drive it . Its like the first time.

huy33

I have the 2009 PB... yummy!!!

I will admit however that I clean my leather seats every weekend to make it white-ish. Love it though

KaiserSea1

I see how you could think that, and was not posting to detract from your very well written wiki on the SC. I am always surprised how much I enjoy and continue to appreciate more Lucky Bastard. I bought my $23K car because it was the nicest convertible I could afford (Also considering repair costs). The year I bought it I just hit 40, I have lots of kids, a stay at home wife, and a high paying government job that is killing my soul. LB was my mid life crisis when I wanted an Aston 911 or M6. The responsible choice, 4 seats, trouble free, and still cool. I became very frustrated early on that I could not dump a few grand into it, and make it perform like a Supra. I wrongly assumed they use the same performance upgrades.

I have since taken on a second job in the private sector, which includes a car allowance so I bought the CTS-V. I could have moved into the Porsche but after a test drive, I decided LB is a keeper. I still wish I could do more with her, but I am satisfied enough so that I drive and smile while I complain here.

It still strikes me as silly the idea of a PB or NM edition, finding no reasonable connection other than, this is all expensive branding. Lexus has piles of money, and the SC has been the only sports car (SC) made by Toyota for years, they should have put performance on the table. . I am not a fanboy of Lexus, but own two flagships. I respectfully disagree on the special edition effort, and feel certain that you and many others who appreciate style can get past my Rant.

toxic

Also keep in mind every time a manufacturer goes through a re-design, engine variations or other factory added options, it re-sets the reliability reputation. We all know that no matter how much testing, some things just do not work out. Who knows what would happen if a Super Charger was offered as an option? I just don't think LEXUS wants to risk the "reliability" following these cars are known for. Time will tell if the limited editions are going to hold their value any better than the base models. As in all edition-ed cars, it is the consumer who ultimately decides the long term value.

scrdstr

scdroptop very very nice thread on the history of our car. For me the sc430 has been my dream car since it came out and I count myself a very fortunate man to own one. There many mods including engine mods one can do to make it special and handle better if thats what you want, money will buy anything. aquanuke is one member who has done a lot of nice mods and made his sc430 truly special i think its beautiful. I would like to own an exotic sports car too but thats my age talking when i was younger I would rather build to get a thrill vrs buying a hot rod off the shelf.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

scrdstr-I agree about Aquanuke...he and Vietprince sport some of my personal favorite modified SC's on this forum. Tastefully aggressive but not over the top and certainly not your grannies SC garage queen. The SC can be changed dramatically if you are willing to shell out the cash and be creative. The engine has it's limits, but certainly a supercharger is a game changer.

huy33-you gotta stay on that ecru man! It's a beast! Don't fear though...my 2002 red/ecru had two reconditioning of the seats (mainly the darn bolster) in 3+ years for about $100-150 each time and Sewell made it look brand new!!! Every time you get in, be careful not to graze the side of the bolster of the seat or you will be fixing it often. I've seen some just climb "over" the bolster to avoid that and others move the seat back more. I'd definitely ****** up some of those Pebble Beach mats if you can find them on eBay for replacements...they stopped making PB mats and most of the parts.

huy33

Do you know what they do differently/better than what we can do with Leathermaster product? I've been cleaning the seats about once a month.

I know eventually I'll have to get a can of SEM15003 to make the seats "whiter".

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

This may be the only non-art work Eternal Jewel picture out there. Although Lexus JP made 200 of them and we know they stopped in July, there is VERY limited photos of the EJ on the net. I've tried to search in Japanese and to no avail. I will find some more!

I believe Katy posted this one a while ago...and here is a larger pic of the black/red combo interior which is my favorite! I would get a silver Eternal Jewel with a black top and a black/red interior!!! YUMMY