Lexus LC 500

In 2012 Lexus showed the stunning LF-LC concept. At the time many hoped that the car would become a production reality and four years later we got our wish. The Lexus LC 500 made its world debut today at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

The 2+2 sports coupe looks to be a good performer, but will it have the soul of a supercar? Will it give its owners a taste of what it is like to own the incredible LFA?

In recent years the Japanese luxury car maker has promised that their F lineup would have the heart of the LFA. Unfortunately, this has not really been the case. Sure nobody expected the F cars to perform like the V10 supercar that they were marketed with, but you at least wanted a taste of that and Lexus missed the mark to a large degree.

Now the LC 500, while not marketed as a F, will again try to recapture some of that LFA feeling. Even though the concept was an LF, Lexus likely left that off of the production model to help curve expectations. After all showing people a supercar and then saying, you can get the same feeling for a fraction of the price is a hard promise to deliver.

The 2017 Lexus LC 500 may not have the F badge, but from the early numbers it looks like it could be the car that the other Fs should have been. This all starts with the styling.

Where the other F wearing cars looked good, this LC 500 looks striking. It has the grille that you expect in a newer Lexus and side air intakes that give a hint that this car means business. Its sleek lines give it the look like it’s moving even when parked. It is a large rear wing away from looking like it could be a race car for the street. Yeah, this doesn’t look like your Grandpa’s Lexus.

Powering the LC 500 is a 5.0-liter high revving V8 sourced from the RC F and GS F. The power output is 467 horsepower and 389 lb.-ft. of torque. The power plant is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission that helps get all that power to the rear-wheels. The 0-60 mph time is said to be under 4.5 seconds, but the final official number is not yet public.

The LC 500 is a rear wheel drive machine and that should help give it a more sporty feel. Add this to the exhaust system that uses a Sound Generator involving tuned acoustic plumbing to help give it a more pure sound. In Normal driving mode this kicks in on hard acceleration or when running over 3,500 RPMs. At that point it opens the exhaust baffles or if you drive in sport mode it has a louder exhaust in all driving situations.

Special consideration was given to the chassis. The underbody is the stiffest ever produced by Lexus and is even stiffer than the carbon-fiber tub used in the LFA. Add this to the cars good 52/48 balance and the result is a car that should handle incredibly well on the track.

Inside you get plenty of leather all around. All of the controls appear to be made of good quality materials and the sports seats aim to hold you in place in a hard corner. It is driver focused cabin that should give the pilot the feel of total control.

Will the LC 500 have the heart of the LFA? It looks very promising, but so have past cars from Lexus. We’ll hold judgement until we get behind the wheel, but this looks like it could be incredible.