Otto Explains — Iconic Cars
10 Iconic Cars From Lexus
Short Answer
Otto's ten iconic Lexus cars are the SC 400, LX 450, IS 200, SC 430, LS 460, LS 600h L, CT 200h, RC F, GS F and IS 500 F SPORT Performance. They run from 1991 to 2021 and cover coupés, saloons, an SUV, a hybrid hatchback and V8 performance cars, and each is remembered for something specific: a first for Lexus, a world first or a result on the track.
How did Otto choose these ten cars?
Each car here is a model in its own right with a defining fact taken from Lexus's own records, and most appear among the milestones Lexus itself lists; and together they cover coupés, saloons, an SUV, a hybrid hatchback and performance cars from 1991 to 2021. Cars that changed Lexus as a company, the LS 400, RX 300, RX 400h, IS F, LFA, LC 500 and RZ, are covered in Otto's article on the legendary Lexus cars. The order below is chronological, not a ranking.
Why is the Lexus SC 400 remembered?
The SC 400 was launched for the American market in May 1991, and its shape came from Toyota's CALTY design studio in California. SC stood for Sports Coupe. A six-cylinder SC 300, with a 225-hp 3.0-litre inline six, joined it in September 1991, and the first generation of both stayed on sale in the United States for the 1992 to 2001 model years.
Why does the LX 450 matter?
The LX 450 was the first Lexus SUV: revealed in New York in 1995 and on sale in early 1996. Toyota's own image archive places it, with its LX 470 and LX 570 successors, in its Land Cruiser album. The LX line it started continues today as the fourth-generation LX 600 and the LX 700h hybrid, and the Lexus Oman website listed both the LX and the LX 700h in October 2026.
What made the first IS 200 different?
The IS 200 of 1999 was the first Lexus developed specifically for Europe: a compact rear-wheel-drive saloon with a straight-six 2.0-litre engine and double-wishbone suspension. It brought aluminium pedals, chronometer-style dials and Lexus's first use of LED rear lights, and its name stands for Intelligent Sports.
Why is the SC 430 remembered?
Unveiled at the Paris motor show in September 2000, the SC 430 was Lexus's first coupé-convertible, a 2+2 whose aluminium hard top folds away in 25 seconds. Its shape came from the Lexus European Design Centre (ED2) in the south of France, and it used a 282bhp 4.3-litre V8 with a five-speed automatic.
Why was the LS 460 a landmark?
The fourth-generation LS of 2006 introduced the world's first eight-speed automatic gearbox and a new 4.6-litre V8, and for the first time the LS came in standard and long-wheelbase versions. Lexus counts eight world firsts in safety, driver assistance and powertrain technology on the car, and the LS 460 was voted World Car of the Year 2007.
What was special about the LS 600h L?
Launched in 2007, the LS 600h L was the world's first full hybrid with a V8: an all-new 5.0-litre engine with Lexus Hybrid Drive and full-time all-wheel drive, 439 bhp in total and performance Lexus compared with a petrol V12. In 2011 a one-off LS 600h L Landaulet with a transparent polycarbonate roof served as the official car at the royal wedding of Prince Albert II of Monaco. Otto explains how a full hybrid works in his guide to hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric cars.
Why is the CT 200h on the list?
The CT 200h, premiered at the Geneva motor show in 2010 and on sale from 2011, was the world's first full hybrid luxury hatchback: a compact Lexus whose 1.8-litre petrol engine and electric motor together gave 134bhp. Its name stands for Creative Touring.
What made the RC F stand out?
Unveiled in Detroit in January 2014, the RC F used a 5.0-litre V8 tuned to 477 PS, 12 per cent more than the IS F engine it grew from, revving to 7,300 rpm. It introduced the world's first torque-transfer torque-vectoring differential in a front-engined, rear-drive sports coupé, and the RC F Track Edition of 2019 was 55 kg lighter, with carbon-fibre parts. An RC F GT3 also raced and finished runner-up in Japan's Super GT GT300 class in 2019. Otto explains horsepower and torque for readers comparing figures.
Why is the GS F remembered?
The GS F, unveiled in Detroit in January 2015, brought the F treatment to Lexus's mid-size saloon: a naturally aspirated V8 of 467 hp with a 7,300-rpm red line, an eight-speed Sport Direct Shift gearbox and a torque-vectoring differential with Standard, Slalom and Track settings. Yukihiko Yaguchi, one of the two engineers behind the IS F, was its emeritus chief engineer.
Why does the IS 500 F SPORT Performance matter?
Announced in February 2021, the IS 500 F SPORT Performance put a naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8 of 472 hp at 7,100 rpm into the compact IS saloon. It was the first model of a new line, F SPORT Performance, which sits above the standard F SPORT versions. AutoTronix PERFORMANCE offers inspection-led specialist support for Lexus F and F SPORT models such as the IS F, RC F, LC 500 and IS 500.
Common Questions
- Why aren't the LS 400 and the LFA on this list? This list is for cars remembered in their own right. The LS 400, which founded the brand, and the LFA, whose carbon-fibre construction carried into later Lexus models, are explained with five other turning-point cars in Otto's article on the legendary Lexus cars.
- Which Lexus cars carry the F badge? The IS F, the LFA, the RC F and the GS F. The F refers to Fuji Speedway, where the IS F was tested, while F Sport and F SPORT Performance versions bring some of that character to the wider range.
- Has Lexus won in motorsport? Yes. In Japan's Super GT series the LC 500 took the GT500 title in 2017, its first year, and won it again in 2019; earlier, an LFA prototype came 18th in the 2009 Nurburgring 24 Hours.
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