When Lexus first showed off the LF-LC concept back in 2012, I thought about it much the same way I thought about the Cadillac Elmiraj Concept. All shirt, but no trousers. I didn’t take it seriously and acknowledged it only because I couldn’t escape the volumes of press that surrounded it. Meet the 2017 Lexus LC 500, Lexus’ way of making a fool out of me…
The LC 500’s unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show caught me totally off guard and I almost thought I was looking at another concept car. Well, I am not. With 467 horses and a better looking body than the attractive RC, this is the successor to the late 90’s SC300 and SC400. These are the flagship coupes that Lexus was destined to make. The nameplate lost its way with the truncated SC430 of the early 2000’s, but I always hoped they’d get back to their destiny.
Lexus Chief Branding Officer and Master Driver Akio Toyoda said in the unveiling presentation: “Everyone, including the engineers, wanted to keep this car as close as possible to the original concept.”
Looks like they just about nailed it. Powered by the same naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 found in the RC F and the GS F, it has 467 horses and 389 lb.-ft. of torque that are sent through an all-new 10-speed automatic transmission. Six-piston front and four-piston rear brake calipers counteract a claimed 0-60 sprint of “less than 4.5 seconds. The LC 500’s styling is shockingly similar to the original concept car. That swoopy body rests on an all-new, rear-wheel-drive platform dubbed GA-L.
With all the performance hoopla, please remember that Lexus is a luxury brand and that passengers will be cosseted by fine leather, Mark Levinson stereo, and top-notch electronic aids (or nannies, however you prefer). I look forward to seeing the new LC 500 at the upcoming Chicago Auto Show and I also want to shake the hand of any and all Toyota/Lexus representatives that will be on hand for proving me wrong. Thank you. I stand corrected.
Lexus LC 500 Gallery
Source: Lexus
Are you excited about the new Lexus LC 500?
