QOTD: Are We Going to Get a New Lexus SC300?
Yesterday, Matt Posky penned an article about the upcoming Toyota Supra, which will resurrect the sporty and historical nameplate from the slumber its had since all the way back in 1996.
I think we should spend some time today speculating on what other plans Toyota might have for their new, German-influenced sports coupe.
As mentioned in yesterday’s article, the new Supra is a co-development with BMW. The two companies are taking advantage of cost savings in an era where a sports coupe is not a surefire sales success. The word around industry circles is the top-tier engine offering will be BMW’s 3.0-liter inline-six. That’s of course the same displacement and cylinder configuration as you’d find in the old Supra (plus or minus turbos) and its platform mate, the SC300 from Lexus.
The legacy of the SC name is not one which should be dismissed. Used, clean examples (rare) are worth money (though not astronomical like Supra), and there seems to be a recognition that the first generation SC was something special. When the Supra passed away the SC would live on. It continued alongside the Japanese market Toyota Soarer through the end of the 2000s, when it was replaced by the California-designed soap bar SC430 for 2001. A favorite of wealthy older women and nobody else, the SC430 fizzled out after 2010. This brings us to today’s lineup.
Currently, Lexus offers two coupe models: RC and LC. I did have to look it up, but the forgettable IS convertible finished life at the end of 2014. For pricing, the RC is around $40,000 in regular guise, and $65,000 for the hot RC F. The LC takes its place as the coupe version of the LS sedan, and costs $92,000+.
To my mind, this leaves a space for a new SC. The LC started out in life in 2012 as the LF-LC concept which took some styling cues from the original SC300. This caused media speculation on a replacement for the recently deceased SC. But that concept turned into the super-lux LC, leaving plenty of space, physically and in pricing, for another coupe.
My suspicion at this point is the phasing out and cancellation of the middling RC, and replacement in 20XX with a new SC200t and SC300. The price point’s right there as well, assuming some overlap with the Supra – say $55,000 to $70,000. Lexus gets a new coupe, and Toyota gets some more volume from their new Z4-esque platform.
But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Lexus doesn’t need another coupe, and the RC fits the mid-size bill just fine. Maybe the SC430’s buyers (and appearance) tarnished the reputation of the name beyond any reasonable repair. Off to you, B&B.
Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.
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I used to own a '96 SC300. Steering feel was pretty good, especially for a Lexus of the period. Nicely weighted with decent feedback. The SC was never a "sports car" though in any sense of the word. It was a personal luxury coupe/grand tourer, a segment that doesn't really exist anymore south of exotica like the S-class coupe and Aston DB11. If you're thinking about buying one now - don't. ESPECIALLY not an automatic. The 4-speeds in these were terrible, and the V8 which made all of 250hp or so was barely faster than the sluggish 220hp I6 version. The seats were also absolute garbage. The seats in my SC300 and in my mother's 2001 RX300 were probably the most uncomfortable seats I've ever been in. I don't see Lexus bringing the SC back. There's barely enough sales for BMW and Mercedes to sell 6 and E coupes, and Lexus will never match their sales in this segment. Audi would build a two-door A7 if they could sell it. They know they can't. Same reason why Jag killed the XK8. This market is dead.
If they did an SC off the new Supra platform, I'd like to have similar proportion to the LC, but be much simpler in detail and surface to get a carved from a single block look.