Superbly smooth, it’s like riding on a magic carpet. This is the later model without the hard run flat tyres, and with the suspension tweaks that much improved the ride and handling over earlier models. This SC430 is a consummate Grand Tourer, refined, unruffled but with a seriously capable 4.3 litre V8 with variable valve timing to make it quite happy to take things higher up the rev range. And you can easily do that using the tiptronic clutchless shifter where you choose when to change up and down. Or you can just leave it in auto for a wonderfully relaxed cruise.

Feeling like a film star? This is a car for the celebrities straight off Hollywood Boulevard, with Bentley like quality and presence. White ‘ecru’ soft ruched leather compliments the pearlescent white paintwork, with lashings of wood capping the dash. There’s electric everything, electric seats, electric roof, electric steering adjustment, and electric performance. A Mark Levinson hifi quality stereo with CD multi-changer and tape deck, (see, it really is a classic!), bathes you in sound as you bathe unruffled in the sunshine. Try finding a convertible with this much luxury, style and rarity to rent anywhere else in New Zealand…apart from our Jaguar XK8 convertible of course…but then that can’t transform into a snug coupe as well in 25 seconds flat.

This is a Lexus, their first convertible, into which they put their reputation for fanatical reliability and attention to detail. It’s a big, solid car, airbags abound, there’s ABS, Brake Assist, vehicle stability and traction control. And being a Lexus, everything still works just as it should – even the revolving electric wooden panel to the stereo that James Bond would approve of. 

Pretty pampered. Whilst there are a few signs of wear in places on the paintwork, that means you don’t have to feel too overly concerned.

Well that depends on whether you like your roof up or down. Up you have a good amount of space, but down you’ll be using the token rear seats to store your luggage in but that’s absolutely fine, so long as you belt them in for additional safety. Please refer to the Seating & Luggage tab above for exact dimensions but note she’s really a 2 seater, a very small third person could possibly go in, but at a real squeeze.

2005 wasn’t too a bad year for some good sounds – here are its best super cooled chilled driving tunes to complement the Lexus SC430:

• Twilight Stolen – Module
• That’s How Life Goes – Janita
• Quartett – Orbit Experience

Now we acknowledge driving music is a very subjective thing, but clearly here, we’re right. So download, hire our Portable Bluetooth Speaker & enjoy!

For a super chilled big car it’s surprisingly quick – our fastest car in fact. 0 – 100km/h comes up in less than 6 secs….but that’s as fast as you want to go.

Ahem….”The worst car in the history of the world…..”

“Wrong, wrong, wrong. It’s a sublime cruiser. They were talking about the early poor riding ones with run flat tyres which ours doesn’t have, and on this occasion,  over opinionated rubbish….”