The LC 500 ushers in a new age of poster pin-up cars

The LC 500’s driving experience is a baptism

of new age emotions from a brand that is finally acting like the millennial it is.

You’ve stopped on this page, haven’t you. It’s because there’s a strikingly beautiful coupé staring back at you and now you’re wanting to find out what it is and if it’s any good. And that means that Lexus – the car company you thought was only in the buying circles of your grandparents – has already proven its brand revolution via the transfer of one key thing with its new flagship: emotions. The LC 500 is the Japanese company’s inflection point between making reliable luxury cars to making cars that excite people to look at, let alone drive.

This is the car that converts the LFA’s poster boy looks with the future technology and design of the LF-LC concept. And it is here, in South Africa. But that didn’t stop us from travelling to the furthest point on the globe from our shores to drive it. Four flights, 12 times zones and 18 500km away, Hawaii’s Big Island entertained the sloping roofline of the all-new 2018 Lexus LC 500, with a fleet of pre-production vehicles nesting at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai.

First impressions considered, the design of the LC 500 is artful in a way that warrants a conversation entirely separated from its engineering, as much as the one informs and dances with the other. Built on a wholly new chassis that will form the foundation of all new front engine/rear-wheel drive Lexus models, the LF-LC-inspired coupé sweeps the tar with its low centre of gravity, out of which chief designer Tadao Mori’s dream rises.

Rather than shedding design from the LF-LC concept in its roadworthy conversion, the LC 500 took cues from and then built out from the concept, with flaring quarter panels and dieting door frames working together to create a planted look that is floated by the 2+2’s low-slung roofline. Aggressively weaving its signature front grille in meshed chrome, the front end stares outwardly with scalpel-like arrowhead daytime LEDs that meet a compact headlight configuration. The sum of the LC’s confrontational front and aerodynamic cuttings drop more than a wink as to what lies under the hood. Guiding the 21-inch forged alloy wheels is a 5.0-litre V8 that sits pretty behind the front axle, feeding 351kW of power to the rear.

And after the media pack were claw machine lifted across the island in a helicopter, we had the chance to drive back through Hawaii’s winding landscapes to the pivoting camera lenses of  locals. But before you see this car cutting a horizon, you’ll hear it. 

With a V8 tuned to your emotional spine, each response the car gives you – from road texture through steering feel to playful exhaust barks – makes it blatantly obvious that Lexus designed this car purely for driver enjoyment and emotion. Low speeds growl in a nod to the engine’s performance capabilities, and high speeds bleed the wailing noise of all 540Nm as you work your way through the 10-speed gearbox – a closer shifting ratio that Lexus argues is ideal for all forms of driving, with shift times that rival a dual clutch.

All this power is accessed via a cabin that has been noted in the design world and is in many ways rethought. From things you might not notice, such as the driver’s hip point meeting at the car’s centre of gravity for maximum feedback, to the more tactile touchpoints – magnesium alloy paddles, leather wrapped gear shifter, haptic entertainment system and alcantara detailing –every feature is considered.

While it’s unapologetically not a track thoroughbred, isn’t the lightest weight and doesn’t have the most powerful engine, it is a car of passion and Lexus sensibility. Much like when you look at it and react, the LC 500’s cabin and driving experience is a baptism of new age emotions from a new age brand that is finally acting like the millennial it is.

Dropping in on our market to steal thunder from the league of BMW 650is and Mercedes SLs, the LC 500 is a GT that you will anticipate getting into every day and enjoy putting its ample performance to the test. It’s a car that stands out from the rest, a lesser-seen luxury performance breed that makes more of a statement than just big bank balances.

Chief engineer Koji Sato maximised the DNA of the LF-LC and applied completely different specs to create a design that is as captivating in looks as it is in performance. Long may it last.

Check out the highlights from our experience in this video below:

Power:5.0-1 V8 (10-speed auto) 351kW and 540Nm Performance:0-100km/h in 4.4 seconds, top speed 270km/h