Like Honda and Nissan, when Toyota launched a new luxury marque for the US market, they knew that dealers would need something to sell besides just the flagship luxobarge, so at Lexus stores the all-new 1990 LS 400 rear-wheel-drive V-8 sedan was backstopped by the ES 250, essentially a gussied-up Toyota Camry.
After two model years, the ES 250 was replaced with the ES 300, iterated from the latest version of the Camry. The second generation of the ES 300 launched for the '97 model year and can be told apart from the '92-'96 models externally only by minor details.
The new 1997 XV20 models, like the Diamond White one in the photos, were powered by a transverse 3.0L DOHC 24V 1MZ-FE all-aluminum V-6 that sent its 200 SAE net horsepower to the front wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission.
Motor Trend's test car managed a 7.9 second zero-to-sixty time and ran the quarter in sixteen seconds flat at 87 mph. Base price was $29,900, which is about sixty long in 2025 dollars, although the as-tested price for MT's test ride was $35,592.
This one was photographed with a Pentax K20D and a 16-45mm f/4 zoom lens in July of 2025.
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