Lexus LS 400
Toyota created a new luxury brand around a whisper-quiet V8 sedan engineered to challenge Europe's established flagships.
First-generation Lexus LS 400 representative · IFCAR · Public domain
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
More than a set of wheels.
The LS 400 appeared publicly in Detroit in January 1989 and reached U.S. dealers on September 1 as a 1990 model. It was the centerpiece of the new Lexus brand and had spent six years in development. This page uses the U.S. launch specification, not the related Toyota Celsior sold in Japan or the later 1995 redesign.
Look a little closer.
Lexus famously demonstrated the smooth V8 by balancing a tower of champagne glasses on the hood while the car ran on a rolling road.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
A brand began with one giant engineering program
Lexus says the first LS involved about 1,400 engineers, 2,300 technicians and roughly 450 prototypes. It did not share its basic platform with an earlier Toyota; the flagship was meant to establish the new brand in one step.
Source: Lexus USA Newsroom · From Origin to Eminence ↗Two dates, one launch car
January and September 1989 are the reveal and sales dates, while 1990 is the official U.S. model year. Joyride keeps all three together instead of treating the same first LS as two different generations.
Source: Toyota · Lexus production begins ↗Where these facts come from
- Toyota · Lexus production begins
- Lexus USA Newsroom · From Origin to Eminence
- Lexus UK · first-generation LS 400 technical launch pack
- Edmunds · 1990 LS 400 specifications
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed September 30, 2026.