Have to agree. Lexus never has and probably never will produce a car with a true personality. They make vanilla luxury cars.

 

Let's compare the Nissan 300zx Z32 to the Porsche 928S. Give me your thoughts on comparison...I have both

I have an '84 Porsche 928s and a 1990 Nissan 300zx....photos included

 

I love the 300ZX...nearly went in that direction vs. the 928 but thankfully I saw the light and bought the '88 S4! I suspect that someday I will have a 300ZX and a Supra from that same era...I like both of those cars quite well and the Supra Turbo's can be boosted to INSANE amounts of power with little issue!

 

One wishes it was a Porsche....the other is one.

 

The Lexus SC300 is basically the fourth generation Supra, so the Turbo motor, big brakes, great suspension are all easy upgrades. Playboy magazine named it one of the sexiest cars ever designed.

the 928 in an amazing car but so is the SC300, especially with the 5 speed and the 2JZ turbo motor.




Z32 is a whole different and interesting discussion.

 

Interesting comparisons.

The late 300Z (88-on) should more refined than the 84 928, interior especially. Its got to be less of a hassle to drive if maintained well. I love those 300Z cars, and especially the 350/370's.

For an era-true comparison to the 84 928, the 84/5/6 300Z's were plush but terrible handlers. Scary soft. I had a 85 5speed coupe and it was a beautiful car, but just a car. Interior had higher quality. Mechanics were solid. Body was thin Japanese. Hard to work on compared to the german car. No performance comparison in handling or power. Any 84 or earlier 928 wins, hands down.

As drivers, the 82 ZX 5 speed 2+2 might also an interesting comparison. I wonder how they held-up with time? The 928 engines turned-out to be bullet-proof, same with body construction. I wonder about the Z's.

I love the Lexus 2-dr coupe. Very nice, powerful.

 

Funny that you bring up the older ZX cars pre 1984, as these were the original Datsun Z cars with the straight six. I actually own two. How do they hold up with shape? Amazing! Still look great and run great, nice interiors that hold-up well and have the potential to be very powerful. My 83 Turbo will be well over 450whp when I am finished with it this year, with full interior, A\C and on pump gas.

 

Stock for stock they're not comparable.

Not saying that either car isn't really nice but I wouldn't consider either of them in the same league as the 928.

I'm huge fan of the 300Z Turbo from the 90's. But if I was going to buy a Japanese car I would probably pick an RX7 or S2000. I already have one of the best GT's in existance.

 

In the US, at least, Lexus never made a turbo SC300, and the 5sp sc300s are very rare. In any event, I still wouldn't put it in anywhere near the same league as a 928. 928s are rare things that command attention. An SC, while nice looking, isn't as rare. They produced more SCs in 9 years than porsche built 928s in 18 years--and even though they 14 years of experience to work with, the sc300/400 has a power/wt ratio straddling the us and euro-spec 79 928. The last generation Sc430 would find itself being demolished by the performance of a 1985 us-spec 928--a 25 year old car.

A closer modern match would be something like an Infiniti g37 or Audi S5. Roughly s4 levels of performance, an interior that is equivalent(g37) or superior(s5).

In reality, though, those still aren't modern equivalents. They only have equivalent levels of performance to a thirty year old design. A "modern" 928 should absolutely demolish the original in all levels of performance. The closest thing to a modern 928 would be the M6. 8lbs/hp, luxurious interior, and world-beating levels of performance, though, IMHO, it's still a bit too portly.

 

I think the original reply was referring to the Supra turbo's inline 6 being the same engine as the one in the SC300 that doesn't include the turbo

 

So, have you found a 928 yet?
Are you going to drive up to Banner Elk for the SITM event?

 

Maybe against a US-spec '84, and then only in a straight line. He probably didn't know the significance of that extra turn signal behind my front wheel.

 

Hey Chris, I've got a small amount of money saved up for the purchase and have one in my sights that looks and sounds like a great deal(Rich guy with a lot of cars that is trying to make room for muscle car purchases). Having a little bit of trouble convincing the wife that I deserve a Porsche. I could go ahead and get it but she would hate everything about it or I could wait till I have her blessing. I wish I could walk around acting as pissed off without the car as she would be with it. I am definitely planning on coming to Banner Elk. It's right in my backyard(and up my alley). I read all your posts and it feels good to know there is someone with your knowledge and willingness to help close by. Gunar

 

Agreed with the 'sheep in a wolf's clothing' comments about the SC400. Not much that could have been done to that car to put it in the league of the 928 regarding character, road manners and performance.
The SC430 is one of the biggest missed-opportunity cars that's ever come out of Japan, IMO. Apparently it takes mods extremely well, and without too much tweaking it can become a very capable powerhouse. But out of the dealer's lot it's almost anemic - compared to what it could have been. I guess decent V8 performance wasn't what the market wanted in this car. The fit & finish is fantastic, and the overall look and proportions of the car are very nice as well.
And those gawd awful wheels on the first gen. I've never seen a set of wheels completely ruin a very nice body design. Put some nice open spoke wheels on the car, some wider tires, lower it a bit and it's unrecognizable.
Although the 1st gen SC series has drifted into obscurity, I'm guessing that the SC430 series will have a strong following for several years to come.

 

Toyota Japan replaced the twin turbo Supra in its racing program with the SC430, (in standard trim they have near identical power output figures, and the 430 is normally aspirated.) they race them in the Super GT series . For a butt ugly car,(IMHO) they actually look quite good when they are in warpaint.