Actually, the IS-C finished 17th overall and 2nd in its class, just a few seconds close behind a Ferrari 458 which was 1st in the near-production SP8 class. I would say that's a VERY good performance for a development mule, that's running a temporary body shell.

Full results here:

http://www.vln.de/ergebnisse/2013-07-20r.html

If you want to talk about fast laps, this mystery IS-C achieved faster laps than several 911 GT3 Cup cars (several other 911s finished ahead of the IS-C) as well as being faster than a BMW M3 GT4. A highly modified Audi TT RS finished only slightly ahead of this IS-C, and the only Benz to finish ahead of it was a modified SLS.

What really is amazing is how much faster this IS-C was compared to the IS-Fs in the race.

Well I've now really wrung out the IS 350 F-sport and if the RC is as good or better this will be one amazing driving car. One thing the IS and cars around that size have is the size and less mass which makes them feel naturally sportier than a larger car. The IS has grown in size but still feels intimate which adds to the sporty nature.

It handles amazing no matter what you throw at it and this car doesn't have rear steer. If you had your eyes closed in the passenger seat this is another new age Lexus you would think is an older BMW. The steering is also very well weighted.

I can only imagine the RC-F, these new chassis are so good that they make the same 306hp engine feel underpowered whereas in the old chassis cars the engines were too much in some instances.

so the "rear wheel vent" of the spied RCF has been intriguing me lately. i dont think its a vent at all. its covered while testing and if it is functional, they wouldnt tape it up. could it be a fake vent? perhaps, but i'd like to think lexus may have something up its sleeve. my crazy theory, is that's where they'll put the rear reflectors, LF-LC style.





notice the spindle shape of the LF-LC rear, and the spindle shape of the RCF rear bumper. contrast that to the LF-CC which had no spindle shape and instead the downward rear lights and dramatic rake of the rear bumper were the focal points.



that might also explain why we see GS rear lights instead of IS rear lights. they might be going for a horizontal tail light with the reflectors coming down vertically on either side, similar to the LF-LC.

Good catch and interesting analysis. Considering how aggressive they went on the new front end of the 2014 IS, who knows?

I like it.

It stated the car finished 18th but now classified 17th. Obviously a car ahead was excluded or they had the classification wrong on the results. They were much faster than the IS-F CC's. This may be a good sign.

excellent observation madfast, i was thinking that they weren't rear vents either but i never made the connection to them possibly being reflectors.

There’s new footage of the RC F prototype on Nürburgring, this time from German magazine Autobild:


With its monster V8 providing the soundtrack, the RC F prototype looks so stable in the corners — little body roll is visible despite the vehicle’s high speed.

In fact, it’s that high speed that’s most exciting — the driver shows little hesitation to push the RC F prototype hard, and the car has no trouble responding. Judging from these videos, we can expect some big things from this high performance coupe.

http://lexusenthusiast.com/2013/07/2...c-f-prototype/

longer version of above video

Can't wait to see this thing square off with the M4.

Thank god they're making this. Took them long enough. Where Honda just talks about such things, Toyota/Lexus actually has prototypes to back it up

(Probably have to save for the LF-LC thread) I just hoooope that lexus keeps that back end of the LF-LC.
Please lexus, DO NOT BUTCHER it!!!

Anyways, can't wait until those camos are stripped away

i am very eager to see this, and then the lf-lc in another few years

Another few years ??? That's TOO long

I betcha its a lot closer than that. The LF-LC will be used in SuperGT, along with Honda's NSX, in 2014. So they'll have to make a production model to keep using that car as a basis for their GT500 machine.

2014? lol we will see