Lexus Ringing In the Holiday Season a Bit Early

Silver Belle, Silver Belle,

A Lexus that’s pain-ted up pretty.

It’s a thing, for your dreams,

And soon you can drive it a-way.

*

Of course, you would have to have been one of the first 99 people to call a special Neiman Marcus catalog line Monday, when Torrance-based Lexus and the Texas-based retailer offered a limited number of the special Silver Belle edition Lexus SC 430 roadster.

It also would have helped to have $70,000, or about $7,000 more than a base SC 430 available through Lexus dealers--if you are willing to wait half a year or so for delivery of the hard-to-get two-seater.

In selling a catalog edition of the SC 430, the Toyota Motor Corp. luxury brand jumped on a bandwagon started when Ford Motor Co. turned its 2002 Thunderbird into a centerfold in last year’s Neiman Marcus holiday catalog. Ford later sold a special edition of its Lincoln Blackwood luxe pickup through the retailer’s summer catalog, and a trend was born.

Called the Silver Belle to capitalize on the holiday theme, the V-8-powered roadster with a convertible hard top comes with special silver paint, “candy-cane red” leather upholstery and floor mats, a red and silver engine cover and a special numbered badge to let the world know which of the 100 models you got.

And the reason we’re bringing you this little tidbit even though the catalog offer sold out Tuesday is that there is one left--the one with Serial No. 1 on that dash plaque. Lexus is auctioning it in a charity fund-raiser on America Online, with opening bids accepted starting Oct. 11.

Cata-log cars, now are big stars,

Since the T-Bird, it seems.

So from Lexus this season you’ll hear:

Silver Belles, Silver Belles.

Buy one ‘cause it sure is pretty.

It’s a thing, for your dreams,

This is the holi-day way!