Thrift Shop Lexus LS400 LeMans barge!
Discussion
We traveled to LeMans in 2011. And quickly realised it was one of those places, along with Spa and Nurburgring etc, that is pure petrolhead heaven! When the time came to decide to go back in 2013 a dilemma occurred, do we spend great expense (both financially and effort shouting at useless French Europcar staff!) on flying down and hiring a car from the airport? Or would it in fact be a better alternative to simply buy a car here, drive it over and back to France from Edinburgh. And of course the car had to be a massive, petrol, leather clad V8. Obviously. In the words of the tall bloke, what could possibly go wrong!
SO car hunting, obvious choices to most would be a 7 Series, S-Class or Jag. Coming from a background of Japanese cars however, the choice was simple. A Lexus LS400 had to be bought!
After trawling through the classifieds and forums we broke the Mike Brewer golden rule (Which he himself never seems to keep but nevermind) of buying the first one we saw, in a rather gidddy and excited fashion! This was our first V8 of course, an exciting day in any mans life, and at 22 there it will hopefully be superseded by many.
Anyway pictures, this thread will hopefully end up as a gallery of exciting pictures and goings on, and not simply a bonnet open steamy shot from halfway down the M6 in a lay-by with an AA truck!
So here it is, excuse the photoshop, my mates wife was in shot and I hear pics of female folk and PH don't really work.
Enjoy
Em177
SO car hunting, obvious choices to most would be a 7 Series, S-Class or Jag. Coming from a background of Japanese cars however, the choice was simple. A Lexus LS400 had to be bought!
After trawling through the classifieds and forums we broke the Mike Brewer golden rule (Which he himself never seems to keep but nevermind) of buying the first one we saw, in a rather gidddy and excited fashion! This was our first V8 of course, an exciting day in any mans life, and at 22 there it will hopefully be superseded by many.
Anyway pictures, this thread will hopefully end up as a gallery of exciting pictures and goings on, and not simply a bonnet open steamy shot from halfway down the M6 in a lay-by with an AA truck!
So here it is, excuse the photoshop, my mates wife was in shot and I hear pics of female folk and PH don't really work.
Enjoy
Em177
In terms of the car, its a nineties LS400 V8 in what I believe is Olive Green(?), with circa 142k miles on the clock from its 3, hopefully wealthy and careful owners. Full service history, tax and tested all within 'Best of the Bargain Basement' thread budget.
It has:
- Electric everything (seats, steering wheel, seatbelt towers, sunroof, mirrors and windows)
- heated leather seats front and rear
- Cruise Control
- Headlamp wash
- 18" TSW wheels (sort of SC430ish style in my eyes at least!)
- Massive boot for LeMans beer and other essentials
- 6 Disk CD stereo (perfect for those oh so catchy French radio stations)
- Plentiful cigar trays and beer holders
It will hopefully:
- Make it to LeMans and back
- Be stickered up in true awesomness ready to have proud place at Pistonheads campsite at LM24)
- Possibly do a Spa F1 trip later in the year
- Not explode
- Do at least high teens to the gallon!
It has:
- Electric everything (seats, steering wheel, seatbelt towers, sunroof, mirrors and windows)
- heated leather seats front and rear
- Cruise Control
- Headlamp wash
- 18" TSW wheels (sort of SC430ish style in my eyes at least!)
- Massive boot for LeMans beer and other essentials
- 6 Disk CD stereo (perfect for those oh so catchy French radio stations)
- Plentiful cigar trays and beer holders
It will hopefully:
- Make it to LeMans and back
- Be stickered up in true awesomness ready to have proud place at Pistonheads campsite at LM24)
- Possibly do a Spa F1 trip later in the year
- Not explode
- Do at least high teens to the gallon!
We did this for the LM Classic some six years ago. Bought an un-mot'd LS400 that hadnt moved for 12 months for £300 to use as spares for the Lexus engined Cobras, realised it was too good to break so we put it through an MOT ( which it sailed through) stuck some Shelby stripes on it and proceeded to use the "gangsterwagon" or "Cobra Donor" as out Le Mans conveyance.
We did however suffer the ignomy of having to freewheel onto the boat at Dieppe as the cam belt tensioner which we had been too tightfisted to change prior to the trip decided to let go during a fast downhill descent.
If you do not know the age of the belt and tensioners get them changed.
During the resultant recovery the french recovery truck driver proceeded to let the LS400 roll off the back of the truck at maximum incline and its progress onto a main road was only halted by a wall.
The wall came off worse.
Cheers,
Tony
We did however suffer the ignomy of having to freewheel onto the boat at Dieppe as the cam belt tensioner which we had been too tightfisted to change prior to the trip decided to let go during a fast downhill descent.
If you do not know the age of the belt and tensioners get them changed.
During the resultant recovery the french recovery truck driver proceeded to let the LS400 roll off the back of the truck at maximum incline and its progress onto a main road was only halted by a wall.
The wall came off worse.
Cheers,
Tony
Id probably go with the red and white japanese sun flag type thing massive down both sides of the car with something equally lairy acros the roof, bonnet and boot lid perhaps
God knows I'm not very creative but I look forward to seeing ideas
God knows I'm not very creative but I look forward to seeing ideas
Edited by DannyScene on Wednesday 15th May 16:04
Nice work.
Idea for Le Mans livery (no idea where this came from) - wide viper stripes made up solely of repeated prints of your/your mates' faces. With enlarged pictures of your faces on door panels, with speech bubbles saying "See you at La Sarthe!" or similar.
There. No charge for that belter of an idea.
Idea for Le Mans livery (no idea where this came from) - wide viper stripes made up solely of repeated prints of your/your mates' faces. With enlarged pictures of your faces on door panels, with speech bubbles saying "See you at La Sarthe!" or similar.
There. No charge for that belter of an idea.
DannyScene said:
Id probably go with the red and white japanese sun flag type thing massive down both sides of the car with something equally lairy acros the roof, bonnet and boot lid perhaps
God knows I'm not very vreative but I look forward to seeing ideas
Japanese Police car, or a couple of flag poles on the front bumper and make it a Official State car?God knows I'm not very vreative but I look forward to seeing ideas
The Japanese Rising Sun flag is still considered quite offensive by many, so I'd be careful using that theme.
shakotan said:
DannyScene said:
Id probably go with the red and white japanese sun flag type thing massive down both sides of the car with something equally lairy acros the roof, bonnet and boot lid perhaps
God knows I'm not very vreative but I look forward to seeing ideas
Japanese Police car, or a couple of flag poles on the front bumper and make it a Official State car?God knows I'm not very vreative but I look forward to seeing ideas
The Japanese Rising Sun flag is still considered quite offensive by many, so I'd be careful using that theme.
OP what ever you do please put this across the bonnet in BIG size
http://overyonderlust.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/...
DannyScene said:
OP what ever you do please put this across the bonnet in BIG size
http://overyonderlust.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/...
Jackie Chan, that famous actor from Hong Kong?http://overyonderlust.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/...
shakotan said:
DannyScene said:
OP what ever you do please put this across the bonnet in BIG size
http://overyonderlust.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/...
Jackie Chan, that famous actor from Hong Kong?http://overyonderlust.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/...
A kind of jab at english ignorance telling the difference between chinese and japanese perhaps?
It seemed sort of funny in my head
Jazoli said:
richardxjr said:
Do NOT bother with European Breakdown cover, spend the money on more beer petrol
Get Euro breakdown cover, it could well end up costing you the value of the car to get the car and yourselves home, I speak from experience unfortunately 
shakotan said:
Jazoli said:
richardxjr said:
Do NOT bother with European Breakdown cover, spend the money on more beer petrol
Get Euro breakdown cover, it could well end up costing you the value of the car to get the car and yourselves home, I speak from experience unfortunately 
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