Lexus says no to no, turning concept into Lexus LC production flagship coupé

Where the LF-A was a supercar and the RC is the mid-size coupé, the Lexus LC is a newcomer to the Lexus stable, taking top spot as the company’s new flagship aspirational car.

The Lexus LC 500 extends the new Lexus swish-swash samurai’d look into this unchartered territory (for Lexus) of the big GT car… is Lexus now taking on the likes of the Mercedes S-Class coupé and Bentley Continental GT?  It jumps straight into the deep waters to swim with the big sharks.

Lexus chose to say no to no, and built the Lexus LC

No people, this is not another concept car – this is a genuine production car!  The Lexus LF-LC concept shown at the 2012 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) has become reality, debuting at the 2016 NAIAS as the Lexus LC. 

Most would have said: no, they would never build it, or… no, it would be watered down, or… no, Lexus will not build such a car.  But Lexus chose to say no to no, and built the Lexus LC.

Here it is, this daring coupé with a long, low, wide purposeful stance.  This car is a symbol of the evolving culture of car development where design and engineering teams collaborate – the teams wanted to keep as much as possible of the design ideology in the transition from LF-LC concept into LC production car… and they have been successful, keeping much more than we usually see.  We want to see more of this kind of teamwork, please!

Passionate package

Lexus even gets unusually excited in its media release, stating the Lexus LC 500 “visual appeal is defined by sensual curves, emotional forms”… “creating a low, wide imposing stance that came together for a highly functional, passionate package”.  “The sexy cuves and flowing lines maintain a consistent tension in sheetmetal…”

The triple LED headlamp unit was specially designed to include some of the thinnest projectors available, to allow a low bonnet and short front overhang, and no doubt a distinctive face.  Slimly-designed multi-layered tail lamps have a unique sequential L motif lighting effect.

Tasty details

The Lexus LC 500 has a 5.0 V8 engine.  Just a good solid 5.0 V8, for simple direct performance and smoothness – the naturally-aspirated engine was chosen for its smooth linear throttle response and emotional engine sound (which Mercedes-AMG and Audi RS creators understand with their throaty V8s, but BMW M has, sadly, forgotten with their full-M V8 sports cars and SUVs).

But this 500 is not a normal engine – this is the same high-revving 5-litre V8 found in the Lexus GS-F and RC-F performance cars, with target outputs of 351kW at 7100rpm, and 530Nm at 4800.  Performance claim aim is at under 4.5 seconds 0-100km/h.

If the 5.0 V8 is the “standard” engine model in the Lexus LC, could there be an LC-F being designed by the Lexus design/engineering office who work together so well?  Is Lexus aiming for the likes of the Mercedes-AMG coupés and those powerful Bentley Continental GT models, or even blur the GT-supercar divide with the Lexus LC the way an Aston Martin Vanquish does?

The Lexus LC 500 has a 10-speed automatic gearbox.  Yes, ten!

Its interior – particular attention was paid to create a Lexus interior unlike any before it, with pedantic design into items like the magnesium paddle shifters, and the selection of leather, suede-cloth and premium quality materials.  Seating capacity, in line with big-coupé tradition, is a 2+2 layout.

Unique touches can be seen in the twist controls on the sides of the instrument cluster, the front passenger handle on the centre console, the short-grip gear selector… and could this be the best-looking inner door handle ever on a car?  A sculpted piece of functional art… which is what can be said of the new Lexus LC as a whole.

The super news is that Lexus SA has confirmed that (unlike the handful of Lexus RC-F V8 models which were sneaked in) the Lexus LC 500 is on the cards for South Africa, to arrive probably early 2017.