That's right! Don't you dare call this a sports car! Lexus doesn't even want to call it that themselves actually. Despite the fact that this car's engine is mounted behind the front axle, the wheels are pushed extremely far out to the corners giving it a more athletic stance, and the car is designed to put the driver as close to the vehicle's center of gravity as possible. But no matter what you see it as, Lexus was in need of a new halo car, after their last attempt at one (the LFA) really didn't last long. Enter the LC 500, which is intended to be Lexus's new crowning performance machine, and promises to stick around a little longer than the LFA.
VROOM! Shake, shake, shake the room!
The new LC 500's styling is not just eye catching, but it's functional as well. An active rear spoiler appears to be standard, and seeks to manage airflow over the car at high speeds. The brakes are piston calipers (six up front, four in the rear), and the battery is mounted under the composite trunk floor, which screams weight reduction. Other weight saving measures used include carbon fiber materials applied on the interior, as well as an optional carbon fiber roof, aluminum components on the doors, bumpers, and also parts of the suspension. Overall, the LC 500 has a 52/48 front/rear weight balance. Very sporty indeed.
Powering the LC 500 will be a 5.0 liter V8 engine that makes 467 horsepower and 389 pound-feet of torque through the rear wheels paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. Yep, 10 speeds. More speeds than there are days of the week. Made by Lexus themselves, various components of this transmission are made out of aluminum (for even more weight savings) and also contains the smallest torque converter in Lexus history. All combined, Lexus says that the LC 500 should go 0-60 in less than 4.5 seconds. If all that isn't enough, the car will have an active sound system, similar to what we've seen on other high performance vehicles, that will actively manage the exhaust note burble. Given everything here, the LC 500 screams to have an even higher performance F-model produced. Rumors also say that a hybrid may be in the works. Without any question: Lexus is looking to seriously bite into the sales of competitors vehicles. Yes, they're looking at you BMW M6 and Mercedes-Benz AMG models.
Just Remember: Its Not a Sports Car
Lexus has been pretty hush hush on other details about this new "unsporty" model, but the biggest question people have is when will we see it? Next year, but pricing is still an unknown. It's hard to imagine the LC 500 costing less than $90,000-$100,000 base price, however. Yet and still, that's quite a bit more affordable than the lofty $375,000 for the limited production LFA from a few years ago. Everything on the LC 500's interior is presumably real, from the wood, to the leather, and the carbon fiber. Throw in the power and presence the car exudes, and really roughly $100,000 for it is perfectly fine. Lexus was in real need of a new halo vehicle to round out their performance line. With the LC 500 now poised to take over where the LFA left off, but with more realistic expectations, one could say it looks as if Lexus has found their guardian angel.
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