It seems Lexus has finally decided to take on the highly-competitive sports coupe market with the two-door version of the new Lexus IS. Except the car you see here won’t be using the IS name. It’ll l be called the RC and initially offered in two model guises: the RS350, powered by the direct injected 313hP 2GR-FSE…
… or the unmissable hybrid model, the RC300h. We’ll have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the RC at this month’s Tokyo Motor Show, but as these initial images of the almost-production-ready model show, Lexus has worked hard at coming up with a striking and sleek coupe body.
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably already thinking about the M4-rivalling RC-F version that will be eventually hitting the market…
… but it seems nobody really knows what type of engine will be powering it. It may prove too hard to make the old IS F’s 5.0-litre V8 unit meet Euro 6 emission regulations, so Lexus might either be working on an all-new V8, or a force induced V6 of some sort. No matter what it comes up with, I’m sure the engineers will be working especially hard to make it a worthy rival to the BMW M4.
Performance variant or not, you know you will be cosseted in Lexus luxury and build quality as the production-ready cabin above shows. This is one model we’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for at the Tokyo Motor Show in a few weeks time.
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
Is it safe to assume we wont be seeing a a manual transmission in this new lexus, most likely paddle shift?
I already got this car . . .
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in real racing 3
if i squint, it kinda looks like frs/brz
86jack Is that a bad thing? lol
SebastianFettel Well done, I guess?
LouieMoreno Most probably...and very unfortunately so
Any grassroots drifting or Daikoku PA features/articles come soon, Dino?
The front needs to look more aggressive, the body style is alright ^_^
It will be nice for next season SuperGT base model race car.
@Kart Works Yep it already looks pretty badass in SGT version
Philip chien I thought that looked real aggressive as it was?
misplacedpiston Yes soon
Sorry been travelling a lot, back to good old JDM content soon
intriguing/exciting
Hmmm wonder if it will come in a manual variant, that will attract some enthusiasts.
Another FR coupe is never a bad thing. Especially from Toyota (my sn should give you hint why I'm a little biased though)
Supra I'd love to be pleasantly surprised, but this is Lexus after all so I'd have to say there is a very very slim chance of that happening. You can probably expect a more evolved version of the 8-speed torque converter that the ISF ran
speedhunters_dino misplacedpiston Thanks :D! Would be cool to see a 3000 GT feature car, if that exists :p
speedhunters_dino keen to see this
I really dig the body style from the back but the front just, as said before, just looks like a.... Idk.. More luxury than sport. Which I guess since Lexus is more of a luxury brand than sport it makes sense.
Only 350 & 300h for the start , if you ever interest on the engine .
:O That's a good looking Lexus !!
Unless it has a stick, I ain't interested. My IS300 had three pedals. I was happy. The IS250 came with a stick, though. So it is vaguely possible this new model may have that option. But I doubt it. Only way it could even be a contender as a driver's car against BMW is if it has a stick. Or if the RC-F variant is insanely powered. But again, I doubt it.
Also looks like the BRZ/FR-S in Lexus form.
Any japanese coupe is highly anticipated by me. I don't even mind if the basic version would have boosted 4-cylinder engine.