1993 Lexus Sc400 Base Coupe 2-door 4.0l on 2040-cars

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Nine cars we wish were convertibles

The snow has melted, the sun is shining, and the days are getting longer. At the Autoblog Detroit office we feel like our winter hibernation is finally over. And with warmer temperatures come visions of opening up a convertible roof and cruising. You know, just turn up the bass and let the Alpine blast. There are plenty of droptops on sale in the US, and more on the way (like the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata). That said, we always want more. More! More! More! In that spirit, we cooked up a list of nine cars aren't currently sold as convertible, but ought to be. Check out our picks, below. Summer's just around the corner. Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S In some parallel universe, this car actually happened. Toyota showed us a FT 86 Convertible concept at the Geneva Motor Show in 2013, and we immediately started licking our chops over the thought of a rear-wheel-drive convertible based on the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S twins. These days, the MX-5 Miata is our only option for affordable roadster fun. A competitor to the Mazda seems like a no-brainer to us, especially since we have naught but good to say about the BRZ/FR-S as-is. Unfortunately in our present timeline, this car is as likely for production as a BRZ STI. Which is to say, not very. Dang. Lexus RC F Unlike the FR-S, a convertible from Toyota's luxury division might actually see the light of day. The current IS convertible is about to be phased out, and the Lexus LF-C2 concept from the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show is really a thinly veiled look at a possible RC convertible. A droptop RC would be plenty good, but let's reach for the starts. What we really want is to run topless in an RC F, complete with that powerful, loud, 5.0-liter V8 engine. Lexus says the RC F is a true competitor to the BMW M4. If that's true, it only makes sense for Lexus to mimic the Germans and offer its performance coupe in a folding hardtop form. Maybach Landaulet Maybach is bach back, recast as an upper crust trim level for Mercedes-Benz. The Mercedes-Maybach S600 is seriously awesome, and more luxurious than a trip to the spa. But why not go a step into the truly ridiculous levels of extravagence and bring back that open-top Landaulet? We think your local princess will love this idea, and with better S-Class bones underneath, Jeeves will have a pretty enjoyable ship to steer, too. Besides, with that slick new Mercedes design language, a Landaulet redux wouldn't be nearly as hideous as the old model, pictured here.

2014 Lexus CT 200h gains familial hourglass figure

Following reports from last week that a refreshed Lexus CT 200h would arrive in dealers for the 2014 model year, we've gotten our first glimpse of what said refresh entails, and well, at first glance, it's not much. Lexus has fitted its familial spindle-style grille and a new set of headlamps to the hybridized hatchback.
Out back, the CT 200h has gotten a set of slightly slimmer taillights, while the F-Sport model shown here sports a revised rear bumper, with what looks like a subtle diffuser and some vertical vents. All told, the exterior refinements are nice, if not subtle, additions to the five-door hatchback.
It's unclear if anything has changed inside the CT 200h, although we'd expect a similarly light refreshening in line with what's been done outside. As for the hybrid powertrain, we wouldn't expect a wholesale change in that department - at least until the next-generation CT arrives around 2016.

Next Lexus LX 600 and LX 750h specs reportedly leaked

Specs for the next Lexus LX appear to have been leaked to a Japanese blog. The flagship luxury SUV will reportedly come in two flavors, and offer greater differentiation from its Land Cruiser cousin than ever before. One of those variants is, for the first time, a hybrid version. The Japanese site Creative Trend reported on the 300-series Land Cruiser specs before most, and aside from some small discrepancies in horsepower and torque numbers, was surprisingly accurate. They even called the existence of a GR Sport performance trim level. Now, they've turned their focus to the LX. As translated by Lexus Enthusiast, the entry spec will be called the LX 600, and will likely feature the Land Cruiser's 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6. That should be good for an identical 415 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque. Creative Trend adds that in the Middle East, the entry model will be called LX 500d, implying it'll be equipped with the Land Cruiser's turbodiesel 3.3-liter V6 generating 309 horses and 516 lb-ft.  The flagship model, however, is said to be the LX 750h, which adds a hybrid-electric system to the 3.5-liter petrol V6. Together, they'd make a potent 480 horsepower and 642 lb-ft of torque. This powertrain is not available on the Land Cruiser. In addition, the LX will have a more luxurious and high-tech interior, with a rumored version of the new Lexus Interface that appeared on the new Lexus NX. However, whereas the NX sports a 14-inch version of the screen, the LX will reportedly receive a 17-inch version. Incidentally, it seems the LX may have already been seen in the NX's reveal video, albeit under a white cloth. Additionally, we have it on good authority from friends in Japanese media that both the Land Cruiser and Lexus LX will, in Japan, feature a fingerprint recognition system on the engine start button. The off-roaders routinely top the stolen vehicles list in Japan, with about 5 out of every 100 registered vehicles stolen every year and rates increasing. Most of them end up being shipped overseas where Land Cruisers and Lexus LXes are seen as tough status symbols. Lastly, the report says Lexus Japan will start accepting pre-orders in September, with the LX itself debuting in December. While we are sadly not privy to the new Land Cruiser, it's likely the Lexus LX will arrive stateside. Whether these specs carry over remains to be seen. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences.