1993 Lexus LS400

Highlights

Featured on The Late Brake Show YouTube channel
One of the lowest mileages in existence with only 12,348 miles from new
Recently recommissioned after 10 years in storage
Attended Hagerty’s Festival of the Unexceptional in 2024
Comprehensive fluid replacement and rust treatment

The Appeal

The Lexus LS400 was designed to take a fight against Mercedes-Benz, who had been utterly dominating the American luxury car market for well over a decade. The resulting car was intensely handsome - an angular, three-box sedan that cost over $1 billion to develop and premiered with a new V8 engine and numerous luxury features. The LS400's US presence was so focused upon that an entire sub-department of the Toyota company was created to service and market the car internationally. Put frankly, without the LS400, you've no Lexus.

Featured on The Late Brake Show YouTube channel in July this year, this handsome Lexus LS400 sat in a Dutch barn for around 10 years before being retrieved for one of the channel's many projects. The car was quickly put back to running order, and a fuel pump was found to be the only fault preventing ignition. Once running, they got to work on recommissioning!

Now, it comes to us in remarkable order. The lightest signs of body wear do nothing to distract from the remarkably clean, solid underside and impeccable luxury cabin - one of the best you're likely to find on a Lexus of this seniority.

The LS400 was then MOT’ed and driven under its own power to Hagerty’s Festival of the Unexceptional 2024. Since the MOT, the car has covered (a reportedly faultless) ~400 miles, which only required fresh tyres and windscreen wipers to pass. This car has low mileage, a great story and a certain level of celebrity presence. What more could you ask for?

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History and Paperwork

Registered in 1993
Category C write-off recorded in 2008
Featured on The Late Brake Show YouTube channel in July 2024
Restored for use in 2024
MOT valid until July 2024
Partial main dealer service history
Original Lexus leather service wallet, owner’s manual, and V5C included
The auction gallery includes photographs of the car's condition when retrieved from storage

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The Condition

Paintwork presents well after a thorough polish and wax
The vendor notes that the car would benefit from a full paint correction, for which they've had some very reasonable quotes
Dents and dings mostly isolated to the bumpers - where plastic trim pieces have taken the brunt of the impact and require reseating
Occasional stone chip on the bonnet
Glasswork and lenses in good order
New OEM Denso hybrid windscreen wipers
Tyres are now a matching set of OE rated Falken Ziex Ecoruns
The car has also been treated to a full underside rust removal, treatment, and prevention
Underside treated with Bilt Hamber Dynax
Underside bungs were found to be untouched during restoration and reportedly revealed like-new inner cavities
The vendor notes this was confirmed with the borescope
The interior is perhaps the car's greatest asset - it's in remarkable condition
This required absolutely no work during restoration - when the doors were opened, the seals proved to do their job
Absolutely no signs of mould or mildew were noted
Beige leather interior shows minimal wear, with only some creasing on the driver’s bolster
Electric seat belt adjusters and auto-presenting steering column function perfectly
Interior cubbies, ashtray, and cup holders appear unused
Boot contains a complete and unused tool kit and recovery attachments
Premium Pioneer stereo system with functional telescopic aerial and 6-Disc CD changer
Air Conditioning blows ice cold or hot without needing regassing
Tilt and slide sunroof operates smoothly with no leaks
Headlining is in excellent order

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The Mechanics

4.0-litre 1UZ-FE V8
Automatic transmission with 4 gears
All fluids replaced to OE specification, including engine oil, coolant, gearbox fluid, and differential oil
OEM Denso Iridium spark plugs
Cambelt inspected and appears crack-free and flexible, but recommended for replacement
Fuel sender gauge intermittent, planned to be fixed before sale
Engine bay presents well with no notable defects, minor rodent nibbles on rubber strut-top rubbers
After a meticulous inspection of the engine bay this was the only damage found
We understand the car to be in excellent working order
We've no reports of any mechanical issues and are told it's an excellent runner

The vendor says:

"My friends and I have enjoyed enormously the process of recommissioning this Lexus LS400. It’s been a joy to work on and we’ve been consistently amazed by the build quality of this car. Driving the thing can be described as a calm, peaceful and relaxing experience. If you have any questions at all about the condition of the car, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We now know the thing intimately!

Sadly, with all of us based within the London ULEZ, keeping the car and using it as it should be used is just not an option for any one of us. As such, the car is now SORN until its next owner identifies themselves. I feel, with paint correction and a sympathetic (and limited!) restoration, this car could provide a huge amount of joy - not to mention mileage - to its next keeper. "

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BEFORE YOU BUY

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✓ This vehicle is “Sold As Seen”, on an “As Is Where Is’ basis and without warranty. Photos and descriptions are solely for guidance purposes and it's customary to carry out a full inspection of the vehicle prior to purchase for your own peace of mind.

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