kez

iTrader: (4)

My SC is a sports car no matter what anyone says

Sc300 sc400 1uz 1jz 2jz LSX it's still a sports car

Clean400

iTrader: (2)

Made for mind cruising.

I would say the SC is a respectable sports car though. It shares it's DNA with the Supra MK4. I've out handled and out accelerated tons of sport cars that couldn't believe what the SC could do.

I've beaten in a stock SC, an SLK 350 and Hyundai 2.0t. With a 50 shot of nitrous I beat a Charger 5.7L on the highway.

The SC is a tad heavy, more meant to bit a cruiser but it can be a fun car just slightly modified. Even stock with traction control off it's real fun.

But comparing an MR2 to an SC400 is like apples to oranges. Some things the SC platform will do better other the MR2. The long wheel base on the SC is great for comfort, stability at top speed and drifting. The MR2 is a much shorter wheelbase and can turn faster and handle better plus it's much lighter.

These cars would be meant to compliment each other in a garage not compete with each other. I couldn't drive an MR2 every day but I could drive an SC everyday.

brucelee1

iTrader: (2)

It is not a sports car and wasn't intended to be.

kingbrian

Maybe im dumb for saying this but isnt the sc more of a sports car then a civic? We all know what people do with those.. (given the million pounds less weight of course). But id rather roll in my semi sporty luxury coupe then a civic or the likes any day, regardless..

MMCtuner

I had a wrx and now a 1uz-t SC400 and while both are very different cars, I can go faster on my SC most of the time.
Look here: http://www.supraforums.com/forum/sho...sion-thread..& There´s IMO the best suspension setup to put on our cars and many members compare handling with some sportcars as 911s, Astons, etc. with awesome results. I recently installed prothane sway bars bushings and the improvement is noticeably.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

The Soarer was intended to be a dual purpose luxury GT. Only two engine choices: the 280hp+ 1JZGTE in automatic or manual with an optional Torsen LSD... and the 4.0L 1UZ with less horsepower, automatic transmission only an open differential. There was no 3.0L 2JZ-GE version available until the 4.0L 1UZ version was discontinued, and even then, no 5-speed manual available for the GE atmo version. Both cars were meant to be comfortable cruisers that could handle in a docile way but the fact that there was a turbocharged, manual tranny LSD version says to me that Toyota intended this car to have some serious "sport" built into it.

Not a sportscar but a sports GT. The Supra is still more performance GT than pure sports car.

For the US market, I just don't understand why such a great car was allowed to be watered down so much. We have aftermarket support for the UZ engines now but they were actually the economy engines for the Soarer series, not the top-range engines as with the US SC400 versions.

None of this is new information of course but it is worth putting into perspective what the Japan-market versions were intended to be versus the USA versions.

dwebb99

iTrader: (17)

Here you go, here is what a Lexus SC is. Sure it is not to difficult to inject a bit of "sport" into these models.....hell that is part of the purpose of this forum. It's DNA is a luxury GT and a very fine one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_tourer

UZinator

iTrader: (1)

I think the SC4 is what you make of it. Mine is a luxury sport coupe. When I have finished with it -I would have no hesitation to enter in an auto-x event and will likely be competitive. Mine will be significantly lighter, far more powerful and handle much better than a stock SC4.

Some people stop short of performance just because they can't get readily available performance parts delivered overnight. They want ease of upgrade and at a tight-a$$ price.

Try to find rod bearings for a 959 race car and see how many makers there are and be sure you are sitting down when you get the price for them. And -can you get them overnight? Likely not!

Your car is what you make it! The 1UZ is an underrated and unexplored gem. Let's keep it that way! Luxury sleepers are sweet!

Joey-E

iTrader: (1)

Its a Luxury Sports Coupe the possibilities are endless

UZinator

iTrader: (1)

That is because they didn't have the car set up right. I used to own a 1979 Dodge Magnum XE that was very often referred to as a lead sled. However -because I had it set up correctly -I usually handed out the a$$es in the Trans-Am class (T-A class wasn't just for Trans-Ams -it was more of an open class and so I handed out a$$es to other types regularly):

http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/stati...20XE-02-03.jpg

Mine looked just like the two-tone black over gunmetal on the left. It had the 400ci big block option that isn't listed in the advertisement -but I swapped that out for a 440 magnum motor that I built for 550 hp. I also had most of the police interceptor handling package (based on the 70s Charger platform -much like the SC vs the Supra) -but with a few more upgrades of my own.

I had a 15" wide tire footprint in the rear and 10" in the front. I had the weight down to 2900 lbs and you couldn't tell it from looking at it -because I put most of the interiors back in as they were originally to cover up the lightening work. So nobody can tell me that an SC doesn't have potential to be a sports car.

It is all in the setup.

Ever see a VW van hand a Porsche their a$$?

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

UZinator, that is pretty cool. I didn't even know there was a Dodge Magnum before the current model and I know a lot of classics. I've never seen one in the flesh. A police interceptor package with a built 440 engine... I like that.

I can attest that you can make an SC handle and stop like a sportscar. I think some folks are only looking at the most balanced factory stock platoforms with auto-x in particular. Other classes with a full road course are a different story.

SC400TT

iTrader: (4)

Some great opinions shared here. Here is mine...The SC was not built as a true sports car, but as a luxury "sports coupe". When it first debuted, it turned quite a few heads, and it was considered fast along with luxurious. It wa also well ahead of its time. The SC was Import Car of the Year in 92, and stayed on the Top 10 Best List through 98. It is a hella car! It can't be correctly compared to the sport lines of Astons, Porsches, and the like. It was discontinued in 2000, these other sport coupes, and sport cars have continued to be made, refined, researched and developed, etc, well beyond the SC. When Toyota came out with the Sc in 92, they pretty much stopped the R&D on the Sc, and only made small changes to it because it really did not need any further changes for the purpose they had originally designed the car for.

Yes, many dis the SC as a sports car, but given a bit of cash, some ingenuity, and the correct mods, and the SC can compete very effectively as a "Sports Car". But this is the case with most any car, sports coupe or sedan, or even van as we see in the earlier post of the Badass VW Van.

Enjoy your SC, mod it to your level and taste, to whatever height you like. if you are satisfied with it, that is all that matters. I absolutely love my SC, and in a straight line or even on a track, my SC will blow most other cars away, and for the ones it won't, props to them.

Ryan

Getrag

Best post so far.

The term "sports car" gets thrown out so often.

It means different things to different people.

Ask anybody from the UK and a traditional sports car has to be a lightweight RWD coupe; preferably a convertible .


Heck some people say a MKIV Supra is a GT car too.

UZinator

iTrader: (1)

Yes -most people don't know that little fact -and likely because they were only produced in 78 & 79. With the beefy 440 magnum motor and some good meats to put the power down -it was a brutal machine. I raced auto-x and quarter mile as well. I loved how people were always surprised at how it would hold it's own and then some -looking like the tank that it did! I think it might have been possible to land a Tomcat on the front deck.

There was only one daily street-able that would beat it in the quarter and it was an AMC AMX with a bored out 390 (403ci) -and he was a bottle cheater too! So the magnum was a ferocious beast for it's time. I would love to find a pristine one once again -but they are very rare.

However -if I could turn a tank into a formidable track car -just imagine what can be done with a SC4. I know a lot of you guys would prefer the 1JZ or 2JZ -but for me -the more pistons -the better! If the 1GZ wasn't stupidly expensive to purchase and build -I would rock one in a microsecond.

The good thing about the 1UZ is that they are abundant in the yards in good condition. I have found several of them in good bottom end condition (no spun bearings) and so now I am stocking up on them. I hope to show people that there is much more potential to the 1UZ than had ever been thought before. A 3.0 may be good under some good boost, but a 4.0 will be better guaranteed!

There is no replacement for displacement! My 440s were a testament to that. I am working on some custom SLAs which are lighter than the stock ones but with longer skirts for higher lift cams. And I have a guy who will do some cams for me for less than $1000. I have my H-beams, a centrifugal puffer and some other parts to make this thing turn 8k-10k RPM.

It is not about who has parts that can be purchased and sent overnight to just bolt on. It is more about researching ways of doing the same thing with stuff that is already out there. That is what you do when it is a little more difficult to find aftermarket stuff!

When I finally get around to my build -I will show how you can tun a SC4 into a ferocious road car -while still retaining most of the luxury feel. Sport Coupe and Sports Car bear the same initials! You just have to define the purpose!

Chawk60

iTrader: (3)

There have been some previously stated astute opinions here, that capture the essence of the SC for Young Padawan UZinator. My .02:

Many people in this forum are too young to know the background of this fine vehicle. It was ~$50K MSRP in 1995. The demographic that gravitates to the car these days, could not dream of affording it when it was new...partly because they didn't have a license at the time...among other things . The target market was people with money (doctors, lawyers, older folks, etc) who weren't modding the car other than to (maybe) put on some tasteful aftermarket rims. So THAT audience wasn't generally looking for "sports car" (Mustang, M3, Supra, Corvette, etc) performance. They didn't need it, as they had nothing to prove to the dork at the red light. They just wanted something STYLISH and CLASSY with a timeless design and some better than average performance...which is exactly what the SC is in my opinion. It was a Sunday driver or a well cared for daily driver.

I test drove this when it was brand new in 95 and was blown away by every aspect of the car, from the styling to the performance and the slick led instrument cluster. As a Navy Lieutenant pilot I couldn't afford one, but appreciated the technical details of it's design and immediately decided that it became my "dream car" (short of winning the lottery) if I could ever afford it. In 05, I found one that was immaculate and much cheaper than the original asking price...so I got it.

Hopefully that context will provide some illumination to your query.