Carbon Fiber Lexus LC 500, RCF GT 3 Hit Tokyo
Sure, Lexus Brought Only Two Cars to Tokyo Auto Salon. But What Better Two Rides to Bring?
The Tokyo Auto Salon, which takes place in China’s futuristic waterfront district, is always quite the spectacle. Dedicated mostly to the tuning scene, many automotive trends have come from the annual show. Lexus has traditionally gone big in Tokyo in the past, but this year it went decidedly small. As in, it brought a total of two cars: carbon fiber versions of the Super GT LC 500 and RC F GT3. But what better two cars to bring?
The Super GT LC 500 is set to race in one of the most competitive series in all of racing. Like every other cars in the GT500 division of Super GT, the LC is powered by a turbocharged 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine. It’s also destined to be the best-looking car in the series, with amazing and dramatic lines. The LC 500 replaces the RC F as Lexus’ GT500 Japanese factory racer in 2017.
But that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of the RC. The RC F GT3 is a production-based race car set to compete in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Super GT series. It features the same basic chassis and engine as the road-going version of the RC F. The engine benefits from a tune to increase horsepower from 467 to 500. The GT3 makes its racing debut January 28 at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Both cars look incredible in their bare carbon fiber livery. It’s almost a shame that they will soon be painted in team colors. Almost as big a shame as the fact that you can’t head down to your local Lexus dealer and drive away in one. But at least we’ll soon be able to watch both tearing up race tracks around the globe.
