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If the Allard treatment had actually enhanced the LS400 styling, then perhaps. But that's uglier-looking than those JDM R32/R33/R34 Skyline saloons that occasionally appear.

Aha. If you bought the DHP wheels as part of a new Mk4 LS400 purchase, then I suppose you also got the DHP suspension. That has a harder suspension, in addition to the extra inch of wheel size. I've had one of each: 2000 Mk4 with DHP and a 1997 Mk4 with standard. The former was definitely firmer, although it still rode a lot more better than any other car that I've had.

I think the main problem with aftermarket wheels for the LS400 is that it looks like the owner is "trying too hard". The rest of the car's design is so understated that look-at-me-wheels always seem a bit ... vulgar! 🙂 YMMV, of course!

The first photo shows the DHP (dynamic handling pack) wheels. One inch bigger than the standard, it was only an option on the Mk4 (I thought)? The other photos are a Mk3 with standard wheels, I think. (But a different car? Can't be a 1999 model.) Nicer looking wheels, IMHO.

I had the same thought. They are a little like the Sportline alloy that was sold on the 190E (possibly others, too), but with slightly 'squarer' holes. I quite like them.

This one? Hmmm, if money was really no object I'd have this pair (seen at the Toyota factory in Nagoya):

Buy a cardboard box and put some "WARNING: BIOHAZARD" packing tape to seal it. Maybe make the corners of the box look like it's been leaking some sort of goo. Then leave it on the driver's seat. Of course, this does rely on the scrote being able to read...

Excellent - thanks. So, your friend's car's code is "ANTIQUE BRONZE MICA, 4P1" and mine is "CASHMERE BEIGE METALLIC, 4M9".

Man, that's a bummer. 😞 Hope your insurance claim goes smoothly and you're in another one sometime soon. (says the worried guy soon about to get his first keyless car...)

Drizzly wet today - I will get out there and check the codes ASAP. Edited to add: Service booklet just says "Cashmere" for Colour Code and "Suffolk" for Trim Code.

I thought the Yuasa was more expensive than the Lexus battery, bought direct (£86)?

Aha - thanks muchly. It is clearly the same colour inside as mine. The lighter colour must have been a reflection. The purist in me says to keep to the original colour, but this is an excellent alternative, if/when I get that far. 👍

It was fortunate. 🙂 He was a very atypical LS owner, too. I was expecting to meet someone in the same ... er ... 'demographic' 😉 as most of us here, but he was really young. He seemed to know the LS400 innards very well, but I don't think he was a member here. Yes, I SORNed S325APK and let the last MOT lapse when the whole CV19 thing happened. To the OP, and back to the cambelt cost: it's always tricky with a car this old, but I always try to think of a spendy outlay like this as a cost to split across the number of years you expect to own the car. So £1000 is expensive as a lump sum so soon after purchase, but if you expect to keep the car for 5 years, then it's only £100/pa more than my (very lucky and long-gone) deal at Lexus. And with that done and such low mileage, it'll be more attractive to the next owner.

See - that really looks the business. 🙂 Does he happen to have any interior photos? Looks like it might be the same cream leather, but interestingly (to a nerd like me), the dashtop plastic looks lighter than mine, which is the grey/brown shown above.

Also, on colour, this bronze looks far better than the gold, I think. Never seen one like that in the flesh, though.