17 July 2001: Irish people who have preordered the new Lexus SC430 hardtop convertible have been invited to take part in a special Lexus Experience Driving Day at the Spa-Francorchamps Formula 1 circuit in Belgium next Monday. The event will include the owners being taken around the circuit by professional racing drivers and then they’ll get an opportunity to put the car through its paces themselves.

“It’s a very special car and deserves a very special launch,” says Lexus Ireland general manager Mark Teevan (left), who introduced the car to Irish motoring journalists this week. “We have had substantial pre-orders for the car in Ireland, and the owners who will take delivery this year have the chance of driving with professionals who include the legendary Jacky Ickx.”

The car will also be unveiled to the Irish public at an exhibition next week in the Toyota Motor Centre at Ballsbridge, which will run from Thursday to Sunday, July 26-29.

The SC430 is powered by a 4.3-litre V8 engine and comes in Ireland with a specially designed Mark Levinson sound system which automatically adjusts its settings depending on whether the roof of the car is up or down. Run-flat tyres are also standard, eliminating the need for a spare. Though the big engine and 5-speed computer-controlled automatic transmission make it really easy and smooth drive, it is capable of a supercar-like 0-60mph in under six seconds.

The SC430 comes with trim options of three leathers, and walnut or birds-eye maple wood. Dealers get their first examples on Wednesday 26 July.

Availability of the SC430, which was released in the US in March and has been extremely successful there, is very limited in Europe, and Ireland's allocation for the rest of this year is already spoken for. However, orders are being taken for deliveries in 2002.

Of those already sold, about 75% have been taken up by non-Lexus owners, which Mark Teevan says indicate an extraordinary potential for the car. "I would understand Lexus owners being aware of its imminent arrival, but the number of people who ordered it sight unseen suggests that we will have a lot of conquest sales in this segment."

It is a rarified segment - the list price of the car is £84,000. TW