What Does SC Stand For On The Discontinued Lexus Model?

Whenever the Lexus SC pops up in conversations or articles, the jelly bean-shaped second-gen SC is typically first in most people's minds. While somewhat revered for its opulent 2+2 cabin, smooth & torquey V8, and fantastic folding hardtop roof, critics are nonchalant in saying it's one of the worst cars in the world, and that mostly has to do with how it looks. Love it or hate it, the polarizing design is not what swayed potential buyers to look elsewhere. Instead, it concerned how Lexus somewhat abandoned the significant elements of a grand touring sports car.

The second-gen Lexus SC 430 may carry the Sports Coupe name, but it's a grand touring car at heart, only let down by a cramped interior design and a somewhat harsh ride courtesy of standard run-flat tires. The burgeoning popularity of crossovers and SUVs, an economic downturn, and poor sales contributed to the SC being discontinued. It's one of the most reliable Lexus production cars to date, but that wasn't enough to save the SC 430 from obscurity.

When the first-generation Lexus Sports Coupe debuted in the U.S. in June 1991 as a 1992 model, it brought the crowning jewel of its legendary LS 400 brethren, the bulletproof 1UZ-FE 4.0-liter V8 engine. Lexus introduced the SC 300 in mid-1992, which came with a naturally-aspirated 2JZ engine and an available manual gearbox derived from the Supra Mk4, undoubtedly one of the most iconic JDM cars to leave the land of the rising sun.

It would have been awesome if the SC 300 came with the 2JZ-GTE turbocharged version of its inline-six engine, but it was more about cruising in luxury than zipping from zero to 60 mph at the next set of stoplights. More importantly, the first-gen Lexus Sports Coupe had a well-rounded and genuinely sportier coupe shape with a longer nose, a proper four-seat cabin. Lexus would upgrade the engines with variable valve timing in later models to improve the horsepower and torque figures.

The first-gen Lexus SC had an impressive nine-year production run with only minor visual changes. Toyota and Lexus produced about 49,500 units of the SC 400 from 1992 to 2000, while the brands sold 33,000 units of the SC 300 in the same period, which makes it rarer than its V8-powered counterpart. That and the fact that it looks way cooler than the second generation SC is why the first-gen Lexus Sports Coupe deserves more love, at least whenever somebody says the words Lexus SC.