It's something called a Kei car. This is a Japanese phenomena. A car fits this definition if it has the smallest possible power and displacement legally allowed in Japan. This makes these cars have amazing gas mileage but they tend to be slow. Not this one, though.
It has 63 horsepower stock and weighs 1587 lbs. It's extremely light so add a turbo, crank up the boost, and you have a pretty damn quick car. The damn car has gullwing doors and is mid-engined! It has a 44/56 weight distribution with 44% of the car's weight being in the front. It's rear-wheel-drive and has a five-speed manual. Not too shabby.
Next we have the Lexus LS400, the car that put Lexus on the map and literally invented VIP-style. It's also the reason this website exists. Being a fanboy, I'll try not to harp on how good this car is too much.
This is something called a luxury car. Oh sorry, that's obvious. I'm just going to throw out some facts.
The LS400 is smaller on the outside but roomier than its competition (BMW 5-seriew, Mercedes S-Class, and Jaguar's counterpart). It is also basically a Toyota in terms of reliability and comes with a healthy 265hp or so (depending on the year). This engine redlines at 9000rpm and has 8 cylinders. It's also an aluminum block - probably the first reliable one.
The Lexus is also the most affordable on this list. It has become an enthusiast car. Everyone wants the newest and 'best' but they associate new with best which is a mistake. I've mentioned this before but my '96 LS400 at 200k miles has less issues than my 2005 Ford Focus. It's tiny ones - both cars run good, both have a little misfire right now, but the Lexus is a night and day difference when you drive it.
It's the quality. Remember, the Ford Focus is a cheap economy car and it does that well. But it can't even get the cupholders right (anyone with a 2000-2010 or later should know what I'm talking about). The ones in the center are twice as big as a coffee cup and have holes in the sides specifically made so that your drink can fall through it during a turn. There IS a normal sized cupholder but it's in the door and you can't fit a cup there unless it's super small - the cup holder is there but, being situated in the 'pocket' of the door, won't fit most cups.
And things like this are throughout the car. The other day it was making a beeping noise every few minutes and flashing the oil light with the car being off...
Of course, a new Focus is $20k while a new LS400 in today's money is $90k. Remember that when you're considering if it's worth investing money into it.
Dear readers, I leave you with some bonus cars. I love this Jag.
The 1uz V8 in the Lexus LS400.
Lexus VIP style interior.
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