Toyota’s brightest engineers and designers were asked to tap into a bottomless well of money to create one of the most luxurious cars in the world. The model had to establish Toyota as a credible name in the luxury car segment while giving loyal customers a good reason not to buy German when their income allowed them to shop for a nicer car. These guidelines shaped the original Lexus LS and continued to influence the brand as it grew during the 1990s.

We’re celebrating 30 years of the Lexus LS by looking at how it was developed, by examining the impact it had on the luxury car market and by driving a first-generation example to find out how it has aged: