2017 Lexus LC500

2017 Lexus LC500 

Exterior

In profile, the LC500 is a slab-sided study in basic coupe proportions. But the greenhouse’s dramatic rearward taper allows for powerful haunches, which together with wild detailing on the nose and rear help the car transcend its silhouette.

Lamps and vertical air intakes flank the grille. The view from behind is likewise dramatic, with the bodywork mirroring the shape of the spindle grille and the taillights set in housings that mimic the air intakes in the nose.

Engine Specs

About that supercar talk: The LC500 is launching with Lexus’s current hottest engine, the 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V-8 from the RC F and GS F. Output is a respectable but not at all supercar-appropriate 468 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque.

We expect that one version will also use the LC500’s new 10-speed trans, an automatic of ­Lexus’s own design.The company claims a zero-to-60 time of 4.5 seconds for the LC500, which we assume to be conservative by at least a couple of tenths.

Interior

Here too, details enliven the experience. Those shift paddles mounted behind the steering wheel are magnesium. And check out the strakes cut by the wind, it seems, into the door panels aft of the door handles, which jut through the upholstery without a typical dish or bezel. To declutter the center console, controls for vehicle-mode selection move to a pair of stalks on the sides of the instrument panel.

Release Date and Price

Pricing won’t be settled until that date draws near, but consider that the BMW 650i starts at around $90,000 while the Mercedes-Benz S550 coupe opens north of $120,000. Figure on the Lexus falling between those two, likely landing on the high side of $100,000.