Lexus SC Owner's Manual

About The SC

The SC was a grand tourer built by the Japanese company Lexus, a subsidiary of Toyota.

Lasting nearly two decades, the SC was a rear-wheel drive, with a frontal engine and the capability to seat just four people.

1991 saw the production of the first generation of SC models and they were designed to compete against cars like the BMW 8 Series, Buick Riviera, Mazda Eunos and the Acura Legend.

At the time, Lexus had no luxury coupes in its lineup and so designed the SC for a new gap in the market.

The brainchild of the American design team Cualty, the SC was not classically designed as a 2-dimensional sketch, but as a 3D model built completely out of plaster, this allowed the team to convey the ‘emotion and feeling’ of the vehicle and to fully interact with it. There were no straight edges to give a modern feel, and the very first SC rolled off the production line at the Motormachi Plant in Aichi, Japan. Following dwindling sales of the Supra, the SC was created in an attempt to replace the vehicle, it was built as a tourer as coupes were becoming less desirable.

In 2001 Lexus completely redesigned the SC, showing the first upgraded model at the Tokyo Motor Show two years earlier in 1999. This newly designed SC could achieve 0-60 mph in 6.2 seconds and was constructed as a convertible instead of the initial SC having a convertible option as a later add-on. Both European and Japanese design teams worked on the SC this time, deciding on an overall theme for which they visited Cote d’Azur for inspiration. Taking image notes from the local architecture, harbors, and scenery, it is said that the curved lines of the SCs from this decade reflect the waves and yachts of the region. After filing a patent, Lexus installed an aluminum hard top, installed an all-leather interior with a satellite navigation system and 18-inch wheels.