Humble saloon from luxury brand can surprisingly match speed of BMW M3 and can be yours for bargain price
A HUMBLE saloon car from a luxury brand that can match the BMW M3 for speed has gone up for sale at a bargain price.
The retro motor has all the performance you need at a fraction of the cost.
Lexus is beloved by its fans as a manufacturer of mid-priced, high-powered luxury cars.
Back in the ’90s and early noughties, the badge was seen as a symbol for wealth and power, often associated with celebs and businessmen.
The firm positioned itself as a viable rival to names like Mercedes and BMW, while maintaining an image of being achievable for the average Joe on the up at a time of steady economic growth.
Emerging from that peak era comes the LS saloon.
Originally designed by Toyota, the LS became one of Lexus’ most popular and longest-running models.
Dating back to 1989, it is still going strong today in the second half of its fifth generation.
However, it’s one of the classic examples that has gone up for sale on AutoTrader, with one ad offering a 1999 LS in excellent shape.
With 180,000 miles on the clock, it almost has no right to look as good as it does.
The bright gold paintwork might not be to everyone’s taste, but looks to be enitrely scratch and scuff free.
Using a Toyota-developed V8 engine, it puts out about 290 horsepower and a top speed into the 150s.
It’s actually quick enough to match the 155mph BMW M3 – yes the new one.
Now, given its age the tech isn’t quite what you’d get in a modern Beemer (it still has a tape deck).
But being listed at just £4,000 it’s a fraction of the M3’s £85,000 price.
Just one thing to note, though, is that it sits in the Euro 2 emissions category so is well off qualifying for a ULEZ/CAZ exemption, which isn’t great for prospective buyers in major cities.
It comes after a lotto winner who bagged a £15.5 million prize thanks to The Sun’s own Mystic Meg showed off his massive car collection.