This is a very late update of the MB C-Drive- thanks to an invite. Hosted at Santa Monica Airport (Desired airport for da rich-n-famous). Many street signs led the way to Hangar 8 where a noisy shuttle took you from the parking lot to the actual hangar which the event was held in. The event was basically an indoor lounge inside the hangar, and a group test drive. More on both later.
The drop off location for the shuttles and the staging area for the actual group test drive.
After registration with wireless ID cards and liability waivers, a slick speaker shows off a C350 in front of a video display for about 5 minutes.
Immediately behind the speaker and the C350 is a row of stations. There is one for a sponsor- teeth whitening with samples, and food! The food consisted of milk shots with assorted cookies, brownie bites, an espresso machine and refrigerated Fuji water.
Further to the left of the food stations lie a C300 to sit in and play with, restrooms and several couches.
Completing the 360 survey of the hangar is another booth of a sponsor, some sound systems and the initial registration tables.
This picture sums up the test drive. A red C class is driven by event staff who speaks to each car via a hand held receiver. 3 C350s and 2 C300s follow a street course that lasts approximately 10 minutes, with a highlight being a set of 6 or so stop signs allowing the driver to floor the car into 2nd gear, stop, repeat.
All in all the event was small, although it is understandable due to the target consumer, and the fact that the event was based around a singular entry level car. Sadly, the 10 minute drive needed a minimum wait of 1 hour, standing, in the sun for the most part. A much much improved C Class, from the inside out, but not worth the hefty price tag for a lacking car.
Taste of Lexus Event, Day 3 (of the event), Day 2 (for me). After previewing all the attractions which were mostly closed during the Evening Edition, it was nice to see everything in full action for the general public. The reservation system was in place using the standard test drive card- a magnetic based card storing your information that is read when the card is touching a reader- be it a station or a hand held device.
A much busier registration desk- the line to get in went out the door. Good thing it was well staffed and moved along fairly quickly.
Continuing the tradition of years past, a guide gives you a brief tour to a group of 10-15 people.
The very nice backlit event map. They must set up all the events this year with this layout. Very nice, very organized.
Day time view of the 2nd half of the pavilion. The first half can be seen in the previous post.
I posted the menu in the last entry, but the breakfast menu is new. Spinach Artichoke Souffle, and Tuscan Stratta. I wish I was there earlier.
The 3 afternoon dishes at Cucina- Flat Iron Steak at the top, Pasta Piccata at the left, and the Chicken Roulade on the right.
The Flat Iron Steak with some bread and a great chocolate chip cookie. The steak was surprisingly tender and almost sweet.
After signing up for some more test drives, I decided to wander about before my scheduled appointment. Here is a the control for a huge display of how much fuel you save by driving hybrids.
The display
Lift the covers to find out how environmentally friendly(ier) the materials used are.
Sustainable materials used to construct these amenities
LED low-beam headlights on the LS 600hL
Quite spacious in the back seat- the car should come with its own chauffeur.
Engine cover of the LS 600hL.
Dwell magazine's location- lots of sustainable resources in daily life.
Time for a test drive. GS450h- sadly it was on the hybrid course instead of the performance course where it belonged.
Step right up- LS 600hL
LS 600hL's waiting to be driven. They didn't wait very long.
"Let me give you some more space- the car in front is really slow" Turned out to be good, but I still caught up at the end. :)
The Luxury Course
More shots on the Luxury Course
After all that driving its time for some Iced Tea at the Cafe. A variety of fresh iced teas or a selection of brewed coffees.
Oh-ho. It seems that the IS-F that was on the dyno is out on display. Time to check out the beast when not in action.
Very nice even though most is covered
Quad exhaust pipes. Love em or hate em
Reduced diameter steering wheel felt very nice as well as solid paddle shifters.
Black & White leather throughout this model. the backseats feel nice- semi side bolstered.
Behold a tucked away treasure- a golf competition. Hit a ball in a very nice simulator and win a prize. Sadly by the time I got there, Gene123 was at the top of the leaderboard with 3 inches from the pin. 3 inches!
Choose from any club in a set, teed up or off the mat. 137 yards, 19 degrees down hill, varying wind. You hit the ball through 2 infrared "curtains" that take many, many, many measurements. I saw someone put perfect backspin on the ball so that it rolled back on the green to the pin. 2 tries, a turn- as many turns as you like. I made it to the top 100...
Skipping the crowd at the Taste of Lexus, Los Angeles 2007 is a great idea. Evening Edition, 300 people, phone reservation (although not enforced), makes for a true driving enthusiast's prime event. Unrestricted driving (no more being warned for putting a 7-series through its paces) for a properly fun event. Free too!
Filling out the standard waivers of liability blah blah.
Luxury Living Edition...during the day. Performance Fun at night!
Registration with wristbands The Evening Edition skipped the usual group orientation in these rooms, although the blue back lit maps are always cool.
Front half of the outdoor pavilion. Only one cafe/restaurant is open at night Cafe, Closed for the Evening Didn't get to check this place out
Cucina,- Italian Inspired Food. Closed During the Evening EditionThat Flat Iron Steak sounds good. I'll have to try that tomorrow. Inside Cucina, closed.
Bistro, Serving the Evening Edition Breakfast anyone?
The Angus Sliders on top, Lamb on the bottom left, Veggie bottom right. All three come with a chocolate chip pastry. Yum.The ever-popular automotive beverage- Fuji Water
Mmm. Sliced Cantelope, Split Strawberries and Seasoned chips. Urp. After all that food, lets go for a spin. IS 250, IS 350, GS 350. Nice! No need to get a reservation. 300 people tops makes the lines a breeze. Here we go... Instrument cluster flashing for brisk speeds
Plenty of space to take these as quick as you like. Traction control was beeping all over the track. "Whoa there, drive faster!" This guy loves Derek Zoolander
Whats this I spy over here? Warning: not for the kids. Can this be for real? Hellyea
Quarter Mile Dyno 100+ mph
The 2 large fans blowing cold air into the intakes. Too bad they couldn't cool the tires
Dark BBS Rims. Very nice. Drag Tree Go! The one rule: Don't step on the brake! Wouldn't want a pre-production car to get flung off the dyno now, wouldn't we? "Yea yea, take it as high as you want, its fine that the tires are melting back there" Specs.
Black and White interior and Kim sitting in the Passenger Seat. My Hero(ine)
My Run on the Dyno
Seriously hot. They had to rest the tires to cool it down and to keep it stuck to the rollers. A set gets burned up every 2.5 hours.
Thats it for the Driving and Dyno- Lets see what else is around. All the racing techLexus LeMan's Winning Engine Lemans Car's Cresent Forged rotors, and the IS rotors on the right. Both use 4 Piston Calipers and inspired by the race set- although the IS' weighs 2-3x as much. Home of the Lean, Green, Driving Machine Nature inspired wicker couch and table
GS 450h Why didn't they put this out on the track as well?
Drive the hybrids, save the bonsai trees.
On to the Luxury Room. Why hello there LS600hL. Solid LED lights there.
Must drive this one tomorrow. Maybe someone will chauffeur us around the track. I guess the 5.0 L V8 in the LS600hL makes the Bonsai grow a tad smaller in this room Wall of details of the LS600hL's build quality Leather from the seats as a bag. Well, spec out the traveling restroom from years before and that's all!
Soon to come a video of one slow lap with an IS 350
After registration with wireless ID cards and liability waivers, a slick speaker shows off a C350 in front of a video display for about 5 minutes.
Further to the left of the food stations lie a C300 to sit in and play with, restrooms and several couches. 
This picture sums up the test drive. A red C class is driven by event staff who speaks to each car via a hand held receiver. 3 C350s and 2 C300s follow a street course that lasts approximately 10 minutes, with a highlight being a set of 6 or so stop signs allowing the driver to floor the car into 2nd gear, stop, repeat.
