- "Lexus SC430 GT500 '08" redirects here. For other GT500-spec SC430 models appearing in previous games, see the "See also" section.
- "Won the Super GT team title with its stable performance on high-speed circuits."
- ―In-game catch text for the car, from GT7's car collection
The Lexus PETRONAS TOM'S SC430 '08 is a race car produced by Lexus. It appears in Gran Turismo 5, Gran Turismo 6, Gran Turismo Sport (as part of Update 1.29), and Gran Turismo 7, as the Lexus SC430 GT500 '08.
The car appears to be the #36, driven by Juichi Wakisaka, André Lotterer, and Carlo van Dam, who achieved a 3rd place finish for Lotterer and van Dam finishing 20th (competing as the third driver in the Suzuka 1000km race) in the 2008 Super GT Driver's Championship, while at the same time winning the GT500 Team's Championship.
In-game description[]
- "Lexus has been competing in the GT500 class of the Super GT series since 2006. Its first car was the SC430,[1] which did battle in the GT500 class. The car took over the hugely successful Toyota A80 Supra as Toyota's main entry in the series. This model, the PETRONAS TOM'S SC430,[1] captured the team title for TOM'S in 2008."
- ―In-game description of the car, from GT7's Brand Central
2008 was a big year for the Super GT series in Japan, as it was the year in which the Nissan GT-R was making its full comeback, having returned into racing just before its opening round.
Amidst these events, Toyota diligently worked to improve the SC430. It was only Toyota's vast resources that allowed further development on the 2008 model, with no consideration for the changes in next year's regulations. They worked simultaneously on a separate advanced development for a 2009 model.
The engine powering this car is a 4.5-liter V8 based on the commercial model, mounted towards the rear of the engine room. To balance the front to rear weight, a trans-axle layout with the transmission mounted behind the driveshaft has been implemented.
However at first the SC430 had a large handicap compared to other cars. Aerodynamic devices mounted at the underbody of the front and rear overhangs are important in creating downforce efficiently in Super GT machines, but the compact body of the original SC430 meant very short overhangs to the front and rear, insufficient for good aerodynamics.
Because of this the SC430 did not show great speed in the prior season. However for the 2008 season, they were allowed to enlarge the front and rear overhangs, to gain a level of downforce equal to its rivals. With its compact body now proving to be an advantage with its low air resistance, it showed excellent speed in high speed circuits throughout the season.
As a result, though the only win for the SC430 in the season was at the Fuji Circuit by the ZENT CERUMO team, the Petronas TOM'S team won the team championship title for the season. Thus the high development level of the car and its stable speed was successfully recorded in racing history.
Café Conversations (GT7)[]
Jeremy[]
Toyota introduced this Lexus SC430 as the successor to... The 80 Supra for the Super GT racing series. The 2008 series in which it debuted was a heated contest right down to the last race! But when the Petronas Tom's car crossed the finish line and took the team title... It established itself as a champion car for the history books. By the way, did you know that the base SC430 was a vario-roof convertible? To get it battle-ready, Toyota built a reinforced roof that combined a roll cage and carbon panels... and fit it over the original. In other words, the SC430 GT500 is in fact built upon a coupe body!
Kunihisa Ito[]
The Lexus SC is a grand tourer series. The 2nd-gen model, SC430, was a hardtop convertible powered by a mighty V8 engine. You see them quite often in the U.S. The first-gen model was designed at Calty, a Toyota design studio located in California. However, this SC430 was mainly conceived at design studios in Europe. A competitor at Japanese GT races, it received aerodynamic upgrades for the 2008 season... During which it tore up the high-speed tracks.
Acquisition[]
| Game | Purchase location | Credits | Other methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Turismo 5 | Lexus Dealership (Lv. 19+) | 950,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 6 | Lexus Dealership | 950,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo Sport (  v1.29+) |
Lexus Brand Central | 800,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 7 | Lexus Brand Central | 800,000 | --- |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- In GT Sport's Livery Editor, if the prompt to remove the default livery is answered, the rear Tom's badge is also removed.
- A similar behavior occurs with the RC F GT500's rear Tom's badge and the R92CP's front Nissan badge.
See also[]
- Other GT500 SC430s:
- Lexus BANDAI DIREZZA SC430 '06 (2006 season model)
- Lexus DENSO DUNLOP SARD SC430 '08
- Lexus ENEOS SC430 '08
- Lexus SC430 GT500 Base Model '08 (internally based on this model)
Notes[]
| |||||||||||||||||