REVscene Automotive Forum - 2014 Lexus RC and RC-F

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Scoop: The all-new Lexus RC and RC F - Motor Trend

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Scoop: The all-new Lexus RC and RC F
For the RC F, 455 HP and 8 Speeds Wrapped in Carbon Fiber
By Peter Lyon | Photos By Holiday Auto Magazine | August 09, 2013 |
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Ever since spy pictures surfaced of this new Lexus coupe testing at the famed Nurburgring in late July, rumors have been swirling that this is the new IS coupe.
Not so.
It's the all-new RC, Lexus' challenge to the new BMW 4 Series. We cornered a Lexus insider just after the Nurburgring photos were taken and managed to extract the story.
From the RC's three powertrains to the flagship RC F's 455-hp, 5.0-liter V-8; from the RC F's carbon-fiber body parts and LFA-inspired handling to its eight-speed transmission, here's the full story, including an artist's impression of what the raunchy RC F will look like.
Lexus RC F Front Three Quarters
Slated for an autumn 2014 introduction, the new RC (stands for Racing Coupe!) and its RC F big brother will be the most exciting model to ever emerge from Lexus's lineup by far. Sure, the V-10-powered,$400,000 Lexus LFA supercar ranked sky-high in the excitement stakes, but you needed your own hedge fund to afford one.
The RC draws the essence from the LFA, mixes it with the best from the IS, and adds an eye-opening engine lineup that will cater to all tastes. The RC lineup will land in Lexus showrooms late next year for around $40,000, while the fire-breathing RC F will be priced a little north of $100,000.
Draped in a newly penned exterior that borrows lines and surfaces from the LF-CC concept that debuted at the 2012 Paris auto show, the RC gets a brand-new body, a revised wheelbase shorter than that of the IS, and a new spindle grille to distinguish it from the IS.
Lexus LF CC Concept Front Three Quarter
Meanwhile, the flagship RC F employs carbon-fiber parts including the hood, roof, and trunklid. Oh, and that hood scoop has nothing to do with induction. Our insider tells us the intake sucks air in and channels it to the underbody, where it improves the car's downforce. The RC F also gets a speed-sensitive automatic rear spoiler adapted from the LFA, suspension settings 15mm lower than the RC, and other aerodynamic tweaks learned from the LFA that will allow the RC F to clear 186 mph.
The RC F sits on a new chassis with a reinforced subframe and Sachs monotube shock absorbers, special control-arm rear suspension, uprated coil springs and stabilizers, a specially tuned Lexus Dynamic Handling system, and 19-inch BBS wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 rubber. Co-developed by Brembo and Lexus, the brake system will employ six pistons on the front and a four-piston setup on the rear with slotted rotors all-round.
Now comes the tastiest part: the engines. In addition to the V-8 in the flagship RC F, the RC lineup has a new turbocharged 2.0-liter, a 2.5-liter hybrid and a 3.5-liter V-6 with Torsen LSD.
We're going to focus mainly on the RC F, given its implications. Powered by a 5.0-liter V-8, the RC F generates 455-hp at 6800 rpm and 401 lb-ft of torque at 5200 rpm. Our insider also reveals that the RC F will clear strict new Euro-6 emissions regulations. To achieve that, the RC F will incorporate Lexus' (and Toyota's) first-ever cylinder deactivation technology in which four cylinders will be shut down during high-speed cruising. The RC F will also incorporate a paddle-shifted, eight-speed, three-mode (Normal, Sport, and Snow) automated manual transmission called Sports Direct Shift borrowed and revised from the IS F. It's also fitted with an advanced fuel supply system and race-tuned exhaust for a beefier note.
2012 Lexus IS F Left Side View
2012 Lexus IS F Right Side View 2012 Lexus IS F Rear Left Side View 2012 Lexus IS F Front View
Inside, the RC F will employ bucket seats co-developed by Recaro and Lexus, as well as loads of carbon and polished aluminum trim.
Toyota spent hundreds of millions of dollars establishing a specialized LFA factory at its Motomachi plant in Toyota City, and hand-picked 175 engineers and designers to build the supercar. The staff was temporarily relocated (the last LFA was made on December 14, 2012), but it'll be back again early next year.
The car also benefits from knowhow gained from racing at the Nurburgring with the Lexus IS F CCS-R race spec, which undercut the production IS F's curb weight by some 650 pounds. We can look forward to seeing race versions of the RC F on tracks from Suzuka to Nurburgring to Laguna Seca as new internationally standardized Europe-Japan-U.S. race regulations come into play by 2017.
Expect to see the RC F flagship unveiled at the Detroit auto show in January, with the three other RCs debuting in April at the New York auto show with a planned on-sale date of September 2014.
Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda has been talking about a Lexus sports car for the masses for a couple of years now. With the base RC's entry price of around $40,000, you could say it's finally here… almost.

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