Lexus SC Styling Cues Came From Balloons?
The elegant styling of the Lexus SC was made possible thanks in part to the historic Japanese bubble economy of the 1990s.
Lexus SC styling was the subject of the latest quarantine storytime from Jalopnik. In Auto Archives, Raphael Orlove covers some of the lesser-known details of auto history.
This past week, we learned the interesting methods used in styling the Lexus SC. Orlove shares from his personal collection of Japanese auto styling magazines to explain just how Toyota approached the Soarer/Lexus SC project.
SC/Soarer History
While the Lexus SC was technically in its first generation here in the states, Japan had been selling its sister model Toyota Soarer since 1981.
The ’80s were the beginning of great things for the Japanese auto market thanks to the emerging bubble. While they may have started off a little rocky, by the end of the decade, Japan was had become a major problem for Detroit.
“Japanese cars were a little bit crude, and they had styling to match,” shares Orlove “They were kind of blocky and whatever. Then, as the ’80s progressed we got much better engineering… but the styling hadn’t really gone along to match.”
Lexus SC Styling
But all of that changed in the ’90s. Toyota, and the rest of Japan, was riding that economic tsunami till the wheels fell off. So they naturally dumped tons of money into R&D along with design. Toyota tapped CALTY design studios to deliver styling for the next-gen Soarer and Lexus SC. Erwin Lui and Denis Campbel were directly responsible for the plaster-filled goodness that ensued.
CALTY took balloons and filled them plaster to form organic shapes. If the ’80s were all about blocky, sharp edges, the ’90s would be all about sumptuous curves… And what’s curvier than a balloon?
“By the early 1990s,” says Orlove “We had not only really good engineering… but also styling that was contemporary with the rest of the world.”
The first design concept was… interesting. I don’t have much else to say about that. I’m just glad they didn’t go with it.
“They did some other developments,” remarks Orlove “At one point it looks like a Saturn. But it didn’t take them all that long before they had it dialed in.”
The end result was a slippery, speedy looking (even if it was slow in reality) sports coupe.
One Gorgeous Car
The Lexus SC utilized the same platform as the A80 Supra. For two vehicles with very distinct styling cues, the Lexus SC and Supra are iconic in both design and engineering.
The SC is not only elegant, but bullet-proof as well. Under those beautiful body lines lie either the 2JZ or 1Uz. And you can’t lose with either.
Personally, I think the Lexus SC is gorgeous, especially with a factory spoiler. It’s one of the best looking vehicles of all time in my eyes. It’s a near-perfect car and I wish I still had mine. (Insert sad car boy tears)
