Lexus UK's Search for Oldest IS 200 in the British Isles
After numerous years of being a best seller in the Lexus lineup, the company decided they needed to identify the oldest IS 200 for the sake of posterity, and on occasion of its 25th anniversary.
1. 25th Anniversary
In 2014, Lexus was celebrating a huge milestone in the UK: The 25th anniversary of Lexus in England. It was quite a special event, after all, Lexus made a huge impact on the automotive industry the very year it debuted. As part of the celebration, Lexus started a search for the oldest UK-specification Lexus IS 200, and they recruited the people to help them find it.
2. The Initial IS 200 Launch
Before the IS 200 even sat on any dealer's lot, over 1,100 units had been pre-ordered in the United Kingdom. The official release date for the Lexus IS 200 was May 20th, 1999, and tons of British enthusiasts were hoping to acquire an IS 200 from the first batch. The IS 200 became an immediate hit upon release, becoming the best-selling Lexus in the UK. By the end of the year, over 5,000 units had been sold in the UK, and the number kept rising.
3. IS 200 on the UK's Roads
As per Lexus' reputation for reliability, there are tons of early IS 200s still driving on the road in the United Kingdom. A big portion of the old model are still active, thanks to how dependable they are, as well as how enjoyable they actually are to drive. It is difficult to figure out the exact number of early Lexus IS 200s on the road today, but there are still 23,000 units that are actively registered in the UK, from the entire six year production of the legendary model.
4. Identifying UK's Oldest
In 2014, Lexus asked its faithful customers to look over their IS 200s to see if they could have the earliest one. To identify if the car is UK's oldest, customers were asked to check the number plates; the oldest IS 200 should wear a T-plate registration from 1999. Another way to identify the age of the vehicle is by its registration date, which Lexus says should be the closest to May 20th, 1999. Lexus wanted to hear from anyone that owns a Lexus IS 200 in the UK with any sign of being one of UK's oldest and longest serving.
5. The Search for a Legend
The IS 200 was quite a delight to own, and with tons of impressive features for its time, it was quite the car to own in Europe. The 1999 IS 200 was equipped with a 2.0-liter 4 cylinder, and was capable of going from 0 to 60 mph in 9.5-seconds, while getting respectable mileage. This legendary sports sedan remains one of the shining stars of Lexus' UK offerings, and is even becoming a modern classic among some people.
6. Success?
The crowd sourced, social media based search managed to turn up the example pictured above, first registered on May 20th, 1999, which was the first day they were sold in the UK. It currently belongs to Jason Leech, of Huddersfield, England, and is well cared for and daily driven still. Jason's car was definitely one of the first batch, but as far as we can tell, the UK division never did determine if it was the oldest one. You can contact them on their Facebook page, if you think you may have it.
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