By Zach Doell
In 2012, Lexus unveiled its sleek LF-LC concept – a hybrid 2+2 sports car – as a showcase for the design and performance attitude of future products.
Two years later, we’re certainly seeing that design language in the company’s new NX and RC-F. But no LF-LC … that is, until now. According to the UK’s Auto Express, Lexus plans to bring the striking concept into production, but notably not as a successor to the LFA supercar.
“It will not be a full carbon car costing £350,000 ($547,000),” mentions Alain Uyttenhoven, vice president of Lexus Europe. “It will be – in terms of construction – a more normal car, a car than can be manufactured in larger quantities than just a batch of 500.”
The production LF-LC will instead rival the likes of the Mercedes S-Class Coupe, Maserati Gran Turismo, and others in the $120,000-and-up luxury coupe range. However, as of now, little is known regarding vehicle specifications.
Given that the new Lexus RC-F coupe will debut for the 2015 model year, it’s likely that an upcoming LF-LC would share a similar chassis architecture and powerplant. A biturbo V8 has been rumored, potentially a tuned version of the RC-F’s 5.0-liter V8, though a hybrid system similar to that in the original concept makes for a fitting match-up.
Its exact production timetable is yet unknown, but Uyttenhoven hinted that final styling might not deviate far from the original concept. Best of all, more high-powered F models appear to be in the pipeline.
“Are we going to have more F models?” postulates Uyttenhoven. “Yes, and maybe coming soon.”
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