Category: LS400

Matt Farah recently bought a 1996 Lexus LS400 with nearly a million miles on her. Now fellow gearhead and Jalopnik contributor Tavarish has the car in New Jersey, and he’s prepping it to trek across the States to reach Los Angeles.

Shortly after Toyota started the Lexus brand in 1989, Mark Templin started his long career at Toyota. He’s now a managing officer of Toyota Motor Corporation and executive vice president of Lexus International, responsible for leading the luxury brand’s global operations. We got the chance to ask him a few questions at the preliminary press kickoff for the 2015 New York International Auto Show.

Real Car Reviews really wants you to know that this is not Matt Farah’s Million Mile Lexus LS400, but it is now officially a classic.

Back in 1990, Lexus only sold the ES250, which was based on the then-current Toyota Camry, and the LS400, its rival to the big four-doors from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Cadillac. Had that latter car been a dud, I probably wouldn’t be writing this on this site right now.

Matt Farah from the Smoking Tire is determined to take his LS 400 to over a million miles, and he’s enlisted help from around the country to make it happen. And while pitching in might be fun, it won’t always be easy.

When I first saw the Craigslist post for the 1996 LS 400 with nearly 900,000 miles on the clock, I was hoping it would go to a good home—and it did. Matt Farah from the Smoking Tire saw the post, flew to Florida and bought it.

OK, so purists might want to look away—I know we’ve probably already angered you with our googly eyed celebration of this off-road LS 400. But everyone who doesn’t think the LS 400 should live its life as a reserved executive sedan should turn up their speakers and prepare for greatness.