Before development of the first Lexus began, design teams first journeyed to the US to live in Laguna Beach. They visited upscale shopping centres, visited country clubs, watched shoppers wearing tennis clothes loading shopping bags into the boots of their cars.

To understand the driving experience of women, designers first had false nails applied in order to fine tune steering wheel designs. They interviewed women talking about the homes and their lifestyles.

Designers studied prestigious hotel suites and the cabins of luxury yachts. They examined the techniques of Swiss watchmakers, and the craftsmanship of guitar and watchmakers.

They lived in the Cote d'Azur, villas in the South of France, scrutinising the lifestyles of the world's most discerning individuals.

LS400 test prototypes were sent to an Arizona company that specialised in inflicting vehicle damage. Cars were left for months in the searing Arizona desert, with the windows down, along with other luxury marques, to critique their durability.

Then, the chrome plating thickness was increased and 6 coats of paint applied which, remarkably, even contributed to sound proofing.

While most new car development require five or six full scale clay models, Lexus created fourteen to develop the first LS400 with its aerodynamic body.

In total, around 450 test cars were built, driven millions of kilometres, from autobahns to snow bound test tracks, to develop the first Lexus.

A hundred cars were crashed to develop the safety systems.

A super computer calculated precise body fitment tolerances.