Toyota Aristo JZS161

The second-generation Aristo (JZS161, August 1997 to 2005) is the car the model is remembered for. The body was redrawn around quad headlights styled to echo the Lexus SC; the V300 trim carried the VVT-i 2JZ-GTE twin-turbo, the same engine fitted to the A80 Supra RZ of the same era, and Toyota and Lexus claimed it was the quickest production sedan of its moment. The V300 introduced vehicle stability control and traction control as Japanese-market firsts for a Toyota sedan, paired with larger brakes and 16-inch wheels. A 2001 facelift brought a revised grille, tinted headlights, and standard Xenons on V300s.

The JZS161 V300 is the trim that drives Aristo demand today. It is the only four-door production Toyota with the 2JZ-GTE, and clean stock examples are now firming against the broader JDM sedan market as the 25-year US import rule clears each successive model year. The S300 (2JZ-GE) is the easier daily car — smoother on fuel, simpler under the bonnet, much cheaper to insure abroad — and was offered with a 5MT in limited numbers. The rarest factory configuration is the V300 Vertex Edition with the Getrag 6MT, which surfaces only occasionally on Japanese auctions. The model ended in 2005 when Toyota folded the line into the global Lexus GS rebranding; the JZS161 has no direct successor.