The Toyota Supra is quickly becoming the unobtanium grand touring potential powerhouse that you wish you could afford, but there is another. This 2000 Lexus SC300 is everything the Supra could be, plus a few things that are just nice to have, for a price that’s very un-Supra like. Dear Santa, this is what I want.
This 2000 Lexus SC300 rebadged as a Toyota Soarer, is rare in its own regard just because it’s the last year of the nearly decade-long run of the model, and holy hell is it clean (except for the interior carpets. What happened?!). Not only did the owner do away with the stock somewhat anemic 2JZ-GE naturally aspirated inline-6 cylinder engine and installed the more robust 2JZ-GTE engine from a JDM Supra, but the addition of a quite sizable single turbocharger is what gives this car all of its sneezing grunt - around 500 horsepower at the crank, which is quite a feat considering even the most exclusive Ferraris of its period were struggling to hit that power number. At a little less than a $20,000 asking price, it’s more expensive than yout typical used Lexus SC300, but then again, this isn’t your typical used Lexus SC300.
Despite the countless amount of modifications to the car, there’s not much to go wrong on this turbocharged beast, as evidenced by the description. By the looks of things, it has been taken care of quite well and does use some very high-quality parts. Here’s an excerpt from the description:
This car has been professionally built including a fresh new 2JZ Turbo Power Plant. The car has amazingly strong power making 434HP while it continues to drive as smooth as a Lexus. The interior is custom as well with a subtle diamond stitch in the oem seats. The car drives extremely smooth and straight with Tein Suspension and quality performance wheels. The car is in the original color combination with Auto Couture exterior enhancements setting off the luxurious coupe’s performance reminiscent of the classic Supra Turbo. Other performance upgrades include an OEM LSD Differential for maximum traction as well 6 Piston Corvette Brakes for truly confident stopping power.
The car isn’t an appreciating classic in the same way that a Supra is, but for the money, I’m not sure how you could extract more value. If you were to build this car at a professional shop, it would cost nearly twice as much as the negotiable asking price on this awesome looking Lexus. This car is a bit too flashy to be considered a sleeper, but it is elegant enough that you could take it to the fanciest of gala event and nasty enough to boogie at the 1/4 mile drags as it sits, and having that kind of range is something worth paying for. What do you think?
Tavarish is the founder of APiDA Online and writes and makes videos about buying and selling cool cars on the internet. He owns the world’s cheapest Mercedes S-Class, a graffiti-bombed Lexus, and he’s the only Jalopnik author that has never driven a Miata. He also has a real name that he didn’t feel was journalist-y enough so he used a pen name and this was the best he could do.
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