William Rubano posted this at the Cohort with the caption “another sighting of the Lexus pimpmobile”. Well, I don’t remember having seen it posted before, because it would undoubtedly have caught my attention. So here it is, making its first appearance at CC. What can I say, except that although I wouldn’t have exactly anticipated the SC being pimped out, but in a way it’s also rather fitting, as Lexus really is the closet thing we have to a modern-day Cadillac.
HA ! .
I didn’t think any one still did pimp mobiles .
-Nate
Only ironically.
What’s that tubular thing above the passenger window?
It looks like one of the 50’s Car Window Swamp Coolers, a primitive form of air conditioning, but why would they need one on a later model Lexus? (Rhetorical only question….)
That was my thought as well but it’s nowhere near the actual window opening.
I don’t think it is a real swamp cooler, any more than the exhaust cutouts or fender vents are real.
For starters, I can’t believe anyone still makes them. Plus, it is too small, and It appears to be mounted to the roof, and not the door.
Upon closer examination there are a lot of neat vintage styling cues here (the search lights and windshield visor) which really shows a knowledge and appreciation of 50’s automotive styling, but it doesn’t really work on a modern vehicle.
It is kind of an odd combo with ’50s accessories mixed with ’70s Superfly styling features.
At least it keeps the CC commentariat busy!
“why would they need one on a later model Lexus?”
That depends very much on their definition of “need”.
Only a Lexus SC with a mock top and landau bars needs one; the rest of the SC’s are just fine without it.
Probably because all the money that should have gone into fixing the A/C was spent on the tacky accessories.
My guess is that the A/C crapped out and after all the money spent pimping up the car the owner didn’t have any money left over to fix the A/C so he attached a swamp cooler as a cheap fix.
On the other hand, maybe a jet engine booster for fast getaway from the cops and dissatisfied customers? LOL.
Outside subwoofer or other speaker so the driver can share their music with the world?
You’re probably right. What a revolting idea though. That’s all I need: Loud obnoxious rap “music” BOOM-BOOM-BOOM blasting away in traffic and adding to the road rage. Always wondered if that is the intent of those rappers?
OK now I don’t feel so bad about the SC I saw delivering pizzas.
This Pimp treatment is fate much worse than pepperoni.
To each their own, and I’m glad this driver seems to enjoy their car, but this does seem like Bedazzling a Monet.
Or painting a mustache on the ‘Mona Lisa.
Good taste is timeless.
But what about bad taste?
And the Landau bar is switched left-to-right…or maybe it wouldn’t fit the right way.
Pass the eye bleach.
+1
My thoughts exactly! 🙂
It is a learned skill to know when to stop before another accessory on your car becomes too much. Fortunately, this guy stopped before adding the Continental Kit.
Give him time… LOL.
He looks like he is getting derisive stares from the two guys behind the Mustang.
And I too want to know what that totally tubular thing is above the passenger window. Very weird.
The thing above the passenger window is a car cooler. It’s basically a portable swamp cooler that mounts at the top of the window. It was the predecessor to modern air conditioning in hot, low humidity regions.
That one is mounted in a way that it would never duct the cold air into the car. Like most of the stuff on that car, it’s just decoration
Take a closer look, there’s a bump on that trunk.
I guess he was going for a more vestigial Continental look… you know, like they did on the Mark VIII. ;o)
Here is a previous post of the car:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/wordless-outtake-lexus-brougham-edition/
Aha! This was during my “summer break”, when Perry was at the helm.
Well, at least I can make sense of the rear window from that angle.
Quick! Someone invent a time machine, travel back to the spring of 2014 and stop this crime against Lexus-anity. 😉
I knew this looked familiar, but just couldn’t remember where I saw it.
Why did he have to canvass over the trunk lid too?
AND the gas door!
This DEMANDS interior shots.
STOP IT BEFORE IT SPREADS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This made my day. It’s wild, WILD! I think I need to do this to my 560SEL.
Well, I think it’s pretty cool. In an exceptionally tasteless way.
With those wheels, the carriage top and landau bars…does this remind anyone else of one of those old timey Mary Poppins era baby buggies?
The only thing missing is the handlebar.
To each their own has never been truer. My favorite part is the “L” in the back window. Obviously this was put together with a plan. How come older Lexus coupes like this are so undervalued compared to it’s brother the Supra? You can find a SC300 with a six and a manual transmission! That would make a worthy car to save.
Not suitable as a tuner car, that’s why. The V8 lacks aftermarket and the I6 is the same watered down version with weaker internals as in the GS300. If you want to end up with one of those insane 1000 hp machines or even half as much power, you need to start with a turbo Supra in the first place. Really it’s only good for a cheap luxurious cruiser nowadays.
To each their own I suppose, but my main qualm about all these aesthetic modifications is that they are not only difficult to remove, but will also make it hard to sell, should the owner wish to part with their beloved Lexus.
While watching the most recent episode of Better Call Saul, there was a remarkable commercial for the new Lexus LC coupe. What was strange was it prominently featured some ersatz rapper with that accompanying vibe. Is that really the target demographic? The 2018 LC is estimated to be priced upwards of ninety-freaking-thousand dollars.
Regardless, is it possible that that commercial was the inspiration for this CC? The timing seems coincidental, but it could also be that mystical ‘CC Effect’.
I think the cars in Better Call Saul are CC-worthy … Jimmy’s Suzuki, Mike’s M Body and B Body wagon, even Kim’s Eclipse. But not as visually exciting as this Lexus!
In a world where you have to find ways to spend your cash, because banking does not like cash transactions over 10K without notifying the government, one finds car customizations like this or Donks to be a fairly common way of both advertising one’s “product” as well as showing off the money one has to spend. Good taste in the mind of a gangsta and mine may be quite far apart, but I get the idea. I hope you enjoy your baby, but I am left shaking my head.
“…banking does not like cash transactions over 10K without notifying the government…”
Good point in some cases, but I have to nitpick here: Banking doesn’t care. We are simply required to be the enforcers under regulatory oversight and threat of sanctions, and our systems now generate and send off the Currency Transaction Report (CTR) automatically.
By the way, the $10,000 threshold has been the same since 1986, when the Money Laundering Control Act was passed. Today that amount has the purchasing power of approximately $4,500 in 1986.
Not a Donk.
MY EYES!!!!!
Wow, that’s ugly.
*Friday* afternoon .
.
Ten year old Demarkis just came in and saw this beast, did a double take and said ” Wow, _COOL_ ! ” .
.
Provinf once again that in matters of taste, every one else is _wrong_ .
.
Yes, that’s a swamp cooler and yes, they still make them .
.
-Nate
I could imagine that car made for a remake or reboot of Superfly (Super Fly?). 😉
http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle.php?id=10195
Or going a step further transformed into a hearse like that Jaguar XK-5 from the movie Harold & Maude. http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_6262-Jaguar-XK-E-Hearse-1965.html
Is it really that much worse than certain current Lexus models?
LOL My thoughts exactly!
Actually I think that Lexus is kind of cool looking in a slightly distorted sense. You have to admit that somebody put a lot of time, money and personalization into that car. I bet the owner has got a real nice sound system in there; 10,000, 20,000 watts? Nice!
Just one question. WHY?
A particularly stellar example of the application of money without good taste.
Did I miss it? It seems the most important part isn’t their….a GEM hood ornament. Personally I think a goddess with red plastic wings that light up would to the cherry atop this sundae of design delight. At least the owners appears to have a sense or humor or irony….lol