Toyota Soarer

The Toyota Soarer was a personal luxury GT coupé sold by Toyota in Japan from 1981 to 2004. The Soarer débuted in 1981 with the Z10 series, replacing the Toyota Crown Coupe, which took the form of an angular two-door coupé. In 1986, a more rounded Soarer was launched (the Z20 series). In 1991, the third generation (Z30 series) Toyota Soarer premiered in Japan. The Z30 series Soarers were also known as the Lexus SC 300/400, a luxury coupe Toyota had commissioned for its new upscale Lexus division outside Japan. While sharing the same body style and multiple components as the first Lexus SC, the Z30 series Soarer lineup offered different powertrain specifications and multiple unique vehicle configurations.

The Soarer was a competitor to the Nissan Leopard coupe. All versions of the Soarer used a Griffin as the logo throughout the vehicle.

In 2001, Toyota introduced a convertible successor which appeared in Japan as the fourth generation (40 series) Toyota Soarer, and elsewhere as the Lexus SC 430. In contrast to previous versions, the fourth generation Soarer and Lexus SC models were largely equivalent. In 2005, following the introduction of Lexus in Japan, sales of the Z40 series Soarer were discontinued and the Lexus SC 430 became available in the Japanese market.