Good day LS owners!

Im not an owner, however, I am an avid lurker as well as LS/GS fan!

I know there are areas within this forum where one can post links/photos of great looking, custom/modified LS's, but I thought I'd share this in the general forum, as this car is unmodified but a beauty! Though the miles are a bit on the high side, this car is gorgeous! I only wish I had the means to purchase!

Enjoy!

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...87347364&Log=0

 

wow! a rare nieman marcus launch edition!!

 

NM huh?? Had no clue what so ever that such an edition existed??

I didn't see it notated in the vehicle description. Are you familiar with this limited launch edition? How rare are they?
That exterior color is absolutely beautiful...
I don't even wish to start on the interior...
Amazing car!

 

yes, it is detailed in the description further down the page, but they only made 100 of the cars!

great find! (unfortunately it has been involved in an accident, and it doesn't specify what kind of damage occurred) at least it is a one-owner car!

 

Is this anything like the Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer edition or the Kia soul hamster edition.

 

very nice.

and yes, these were sold in the NM annual holiday catalog, i think this year is a maserati ghibli if my memory is correct

 

Petey:
I didn't look but that explains the price somewhat. I say somewhat because it does have nearly 90k miles.
Indeed one owner, but the accident does raise eyebrows. The car is worth so much, the damage could have legitimately somewhat substantial and it not have been totaled out. But perhaps nothing very drastic as well. Hard to say...

Dev: Very, very funny Sir! I was thinking I'd liken it to the Kia edition, as it's much more exclusive. I mean come on...the stylish hamster in the fashion forward Euro style and influenced suits! Pretty slick there!

 

Maserati huh...
Not too shabby...
Not to shabby at all.

 

My disdain for the industry is for all of the editions and calling every car limited. The most collectible cars in the world never had these monikers and some of the unusual changes were accidental yet the industry capitalizes on fictional prestige and exclusivity. Nobody makes this case better then the Germans and the History channel. Mr. Daimler had nobody in his family named Mercedes and decided to use a non German name to help sell the car.
I watched a documentary on the Mona Lisa and it's popularity as the most celebrated painting in the world is partially due to the fact that it was stolen over 100 years ago by an Italian who wanted to repatriated it back to Italy. It turns out that it was originally bought by a French man.

I think Toyota is better then this and their only fault is slightly altering their name. The fact that Toyota went back to their roots of building a looming machine that can weave carbon fiber is prestigious and humbling.

 

This is quite the interesting post, and I learned something as well. Wasn't aware of the Daimler nor the Mona Lisa factoid.
But let me ask you this:
I understand your disdain for editions, point understood, respected and taken. However, how do you feel about the different trims of cars being available?
Allow me to explain..
In my mind, and this is just how I think/see things, when the term "Limited" is adhered to something, you can assure that means that the price tag will be higher. In some cases, exponentially higher. Sticking with the auto industry, that in turn usually means that a certain echelon of people can afford it, thus, a bit of a separatist situation. For elitist if you will. So, to me, wouldn't different trims/models of certain cars lend to the same ideologies of Limited editions? This isn't for arguments sake, it just made me think about it as I read about your displeasure regarding the limited title. I guess to use my*statement in a applicable example, as I was reading in the forum earlier today (and you may remember this, as you posted in the thread as well), the threads focus was the diffrence in reliability between the 430 and 460. Someone made a comment and said that the mechanic at his local dealership preferred the older 430. Then someone else said of course they'd say that because that's what they can afford. It's nothing that's proposed as a bias, it's just the realism of a price point. But there still lies that difference. That separation.
Not sure if I communicated my point clearly, but interested in your take: Editions versus Models.
Keep in mind, I do realize that different models can provide upgrades/enhancements.
Dev, your thoughts/comments...or anyone else!

 

Thanks for a well written response to expand on my thoughts. I'm a lover of automobiles but often I find things that make me want to choke when public consumption is dictated by marketing then one of passion. I have no problem with an edition they limit based on a projected goal for a market segment rather then having to plaster that factoid on the car that is often played out.
It's kind of like the type R sticks on everything. There is a lot more gravitas when it's incidental trivia then when a car maker writes Lotus tuned suspension all over it.

I even dread the fact that they may limit a trim just to sell owners exclusivity rather then having it self limiting by how much someone is willing to pay for a trim level they need. Just the fact that you are driving a luxury car is not enough for some people, they need further distinction to set them apart and its usually not for their own enjoyment but to make everyone think they own a Faberge egg . I think this creates bad behavior in car enthusiasm however I'm not one to judge what one does with their money but it does makes owners look foolish while the car companies are making bank on fake prestige and history before it is written. These cars will inevitably not end up in a museum but in a junkyard and crushed like everything else.
If they made an executive trim and Neiman Marcus was consulted on the interior then it would be a lot more palatable.

 

Ahh... so eloquently stated! Though I extend gratitude to you for your compliments, and it's greatly appreciated, your responce has further adressed and pin pointed, what I thought was a substantial effort on my part, to place emphasis on the pure enthusiast and their love for the pureness of what the automotive world presents, versus the grandeur of gimmicky marketing. As I read your remarks, I*could help but smile and absolutely agree and come to a better realization and understanding of my own feelings regarding the love for automobile's. All of your points are saturated in validity, and I couldn't agree more. But indeed, I must say that its the society we live in. No, it's not enough to drive a luxury sedan, it must be a cut above that, and you need to know that it is, hence the marketing/badge!
Thanks again for the lesson, and a much more grand appreciation for the sharing of knowledge! And I guess we can also dually agree on the following statement: Toyota has managed forge ahead with the craftsmanship of a beautiful, depandable, widely loved and heavily hailed, respected automobile.
And that is what, at the end of the day, for people like us, amomg perhapps a few other intangibles, admire most.
Cheers to that Dev!

 

It says here:
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/04/n...aunch-edition/ :

In addition, owners will receive a specially crafted Italian leather luggage set that will match the unique interior color scheme.

Photos ???...measurements ??

..and on the side...how Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) became to be Mercedes:

http://media.daimler.com/dcmedia/0-9...0-0-0-0-0.html

Is it the same LS 600 hL NMLE that is here on e-bay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lexus-LS-HYBRID-LEXUS-LS600HL-HYBRID-RARE-LAUNCH-EDITION-LS600H-DVD-TV-MARK-LEVINSON-LS460-PCS-/171566722076?forcerrptr=true&hash=item27f22c6c1c&item=171566722076&pt=US_Cars_Trucks ???


Regards
Arvid

 

The thought in the above posts are that the NM vehicle had been wrecked. The ebay auction claims it's a 2 owner car never wrecked.

 

Pure enthusiast or purist is maybe more of a chicken egg argument when it comes to a manufactures revisionist history and intellectual dishonesty to sell cars or anything else for that matter. One can argue that it doesn't matter as long as the owner is happy but it does lay into question the people who actually deserve credit for keeping the passion for the product that you enjoy otherwise they will sell in name only. Enzo Ferrari is a good example of this as it was his bastard son that put Ferrari on the map while Enzo's larger then life playboy lifestyle illusion of running a successful business that he took unjust credit for to market the brand. Even the Ferrari crest is not their families but someone else's, but given enough time history can be re-written for marketing purposes of expressing false lineage and prestige.

You should read the book The Relentless Pursuit by Chester Dawson as it chronicles Eiji Toyoda's vision without it being a tale of self promotion but one of modesty and determination.

Don't get me wrong I don't want to come off as arrogant know it all but one to cut though all the self perpetuating dishonesty from those that sell the badge right down to the dealers. You can market honesty a lot better and if you have a great product people will be turned on to it from word of mouth and that's why a good number of us are Lexus owners.