It’s not every day you come across a car with a fabric exterior. Unless, of course, it’s a 1984 Ford Econoline ‘Dog Van’ from Dumb and Dumber (1994). On a recent episode, Hoonigan featured a 1999 Lexus LS400 with a distinct fuzzy, cheetah print front end and a ton of power out of a swapped 1UZ engine.
Europe has built a steady, unrivaled reputation when it comes to luxury vehicles. Japanese automaker Toyota might not be a front runner in the segment, but they’ve stirred the luxury car market a couple of times with their Lexus vehicles. The LS400 debut was one such time, and if the rumors are true, it gave BMW, Mercedes, and Jaguar some sleepless nights.
The fairly-priced, 4-liter engine, full-sized, boxed-shaped, rear-wheel drive family luxury sedan was a critical missing piece in the American luxury vehicle market in the late 1980s.
It was a fitting luxury car and a commendable attempt by the Japanese automaker. Due to hydro-pneumatic engine mounts, the LS400 had a crisp ride experience. You couldn’t feel the engine vibrations or hear its sound from the cabin.
If there’s such a thing as a Lexus LS400 purist, they’ll probably choke on their breakfast at the sight of Sensei’s built LS400. Don’t let the cheetah-print front end fool you. This car wasn’t designed for a smooth ride. Part of its resume includes drifting and ripping burnouts (anything that’ll shred tires fast).
This two-seater 4-door luxury sedan runs a ‘semi-built’ 1UZ engine making 320 hp (324 ps). The classic luxury car has a couple of mods, including Megan Racing Coilovers, no back-seats (weight reduction), and a stage one transmission build.
It might run an automatic transmission, but when it was time the rip at the Hoonigan Tire Slayer Studios, it performed its task tastefully. It ripped so hard that you could hear the tires crackling when it stopped. The Hoonigan team also learnt a thing or two about 'staging the course, for your own benefit.'
We recommend catching some of that drifting action in the video below.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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