Lexus Owner Recreates Epic LS400 “Champagne Glass” Ad from the 1980s

In one of the cleverest ads from the 1980s, Lexus stacked fifteen champagne glasses on the hood of its (then new) LS400 sedan...and then placed it on a dynamometer. Taking the LS400 up to a simulated 145 mph (233 km/h), the viewer marvels as the glasses remain exactly where they should be. The ad ends with the Lexus logo and the words, “The Lexus LS400 is designed to stir the soul...and not much else.”

It’s a great bit of advertising and holds up pretty well even today. There is one question that many would-be Lexus owners may be asking themselves today: are the cars still as good as they were back then? Has engineering perfection über alles survived twenty years of market reinvention and product development?

One Lexus owner has decided to find out, by (sort of) recreating the experiment with his own Lexus LS460 sedan, some champagne glasses half filled with water and an ordinary suburban driveway. The first test with wineglasses and 5800 rpm works well, but can this same feat be performed with nine glasses and 7500 rpm?

I guess you’ll just have to watch the video to find out.

By Tristan Hankins

Via Lexusenthusiast

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VIDEO: Lexus LFA Burning Some Rubber on the Track

It might not be the prettiest or most sought after supercar in the world, but the new Lexus LFA does have a certain appeal to it. Even more so when we have the opportunity to watch it on the track. In this video we see American car racing champion Scott Pruett drifting and doing donuts in the LFA at the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma California. Click through the jump for the clip.

Hat tip to Andreas!

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VIDEO: Lexus LFA Meets Hot Dutch Supermodel in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition

Normally, the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition wouldn't be something that you'd read about or see on Carscoop, but being that Lexus is involved in the 2011 issue, we....couldn't leave you in the dark about the LFA's presence in the photo shoot with Dutch supermodel Rianne Ten Haken.

Now, if you're still with us and haven't used the zoom function for a closer inspection of Miss Ten Haken, in the hands of Rhys Millen, the Japanese firm's 552-HP, V10 supercar ran -in Lexus' own words- "multiple high-speed donuts around the model to create the imagery for the sizzling four-page spread." Now spread your wings over the jump to watch the video clip.

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Lexus Offers Special Driver Lessons to LFA Owners [with Video]

Owning a supercar like the Lexus LFA is not always a walk in the park. With 552HP on tap, it has enough oomph to get you in serious trouble and, given the $375,000 price tag and limited run of just 500 units, it would be a shame to wrap this beast around a tree. So, it’s definitely good news that Lexus will offer a driver development program for LFA owners that will run from March 8 to 15, at the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.

Racing professionals will provide expert guidance during the one-day program, which includes theoretical and track lapping sessions, performance limit exercises and technical demonstrations.

“This program offers a unique opportunity to experience the 552 horsepower Lexus LFA supercar in its natural environment,” said Mark Templin, group vice president and general manager, Lexus Division. “Lapping Infineon and tips from the professional drivers will certainly enhance the overall LFA ownership experience.”

First presented as a concept model at the 2005 Detroit Auto Show, the production version LFA was finally shown in October 2009 at the Tokyo Motor Show. Still, it took another year until it went into production, with the first units being delivered in the U.S. last month. The entire batch of 500 units is expected to be delivered by 2012 and, according to Lexus, there are still a limited number of LFAs available for purchase.

In the videos below, you can see the reactions of one of the first owners to take delivery of the LFA (allegedly in Costa Rica), upon getting behind the wheel.

By Csaba Daradics

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VIDEO: Lexus Sets the Bar High, Chains Four Cars on LS in New TV Ad

In another sign that luxury automakers in the U.S. are raising the stakes -or so to speak- with their latest commercials, following Audi's recent A8 ad, Lexus has released a new TV spot as part of an advertising campaign to demonstrate how far the company goes to achieve perfection.

This particular broadcast ad is titled “Chain” and it shows a crane slowly lifting the front end of a LS, which is attached to four more Lexus models (RX, GS, ES and IS) using nothing more than cables and stretch bars. At the end of the spot, a $375,000 LFA comes into the shot and parks directly below the chain of vehicles weighing a total 21,000 pounds.

The key point here is that the commercial is real and that no special effects were used for its creation as Lexus proves in the 'Behind the Scenes" video.

“It isn’t enough to just say that we pursue perfection, we want to demonstrate the great lengths we go to in our pursuit,” states Dave Nordstrom, vice president of marketing for Lexus.

“The new broadcast spot allows us to focus on the foundation of our vehicles, the chassis, and show its almost unbelievable strength. In fact, we feared that it would be so unbelievable, we invited a physicist and structural engineer to witness the shoot, to prove that it did, in fact, occur without the use of special effects or computer generated-imagery.”

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