First Impressions: The Lexus RC F Track Edition

Posted by Kevin on January 23rd, 2019

While competitors fall all over themselves releasing new crossovers and variants of existing crossovers and crossovers that shouldn’t even be crossovers, Lexus decided instead to update one of their worst-selling cars with a limited-edition hardcore track package.

I love it.

After enduring the wave of criticism that launched the RC F, when media and consumers alike called the coupe fat and expensive and underpowered and unable to compete against the Ms and AMGs of the world, Lexus shaved off 176 pounds for the new Track edition, revamped the engine and transmission, reworked the entire front suspension, and developed a bespoke tire with Michelin.

And I love it.

Lexus RC F Track Rear

As luxury automotive design leans more conservative and the front grille becomes the only place for designers to express themselves and everything descends into blandness, Lexus goes hog-wild with garish exposed carbon-fiber and slaps a GIANT wing on the trunk lid.

Still, I love it.

Lexus RC F Track Side

The Lexus RC F Track Edition is absolutely the wrong car at the wrong time, it defies all logic and should have died in that first proposal meeting. Lexus regional offices around the world should have pushed back until the RC F Track Edition withered away to nothing, screaming about the need for new crossovers and the misuse of development funds. This coupe should not exist.

But it does, and I love it.

Lexus RC F Track Rear 2

The RC F Track Edition is only available in two colors (Ultra White & new Matte Nebula Gray). It will likely cost an arm and a leg with all its carbon fiber and carbon ceramic brakes and Alcantara insides. Lexus USA only expects to see 60 units in total for 2019. Every additional fact makes it feel more and more ridiculous.

Regardless, I love it.

This is not a car that will set the world on fire, but it is a signal flare that Lexus has no plans to give up on the RC F just yet. The critics could have stifled any hope, the engineers could have been railroaded, upper management could have moved on from the coupe with little resistance. Instead, Lexus applied their trademark Kaizen principle of constant improvement and refactored the hell out of the RC F.

Sometimes, things don’t have to make sense. Sometimes, desire overrides logic. Sometimes, you see a car like the RC F Track Edition with its messy messaging and unclear future and you remember why you fell in love with cars in the first place.

Lexus RC F Track Edition Front

AutoshowsLexus RC F: First Generation
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Comments
F1 Silver Arrows
https://www.autoblog.com/2018/12/06..._7RI-MRlYgyKjdkprVdhgR164XZ4Ftuq7VdYkScvtFs3U

Holy sh*t! I can't wait! :heart_eyes:
Gecko
So that points to a power bump over the 471hp... AWESOME!
Faisal Sheikh
RCF easily gets around 500 HP with an exhaust mod. Maybe, Lexus relaxed the emissions on it a bit (since it is a limited edition model) and got it around 490 - 495 HP (that is what I had predicted a while back). Would be awesome if they raise the redline to 7800 rpm, but I doubt that will happen.

Very excited about this as RCF will go out with a bang.

Gecko
So that points to a power bump over the 471hp... AWESOME!
Joaquin Ruhi
Gecko
So that points to a power bump over the 471hp... AWESOME!
To quote from the Autoblog article cited above:

As for how much power the RC F Track Edition will produce, we can at least guess a range while we wait for the reveal. The most powerful LFA, the Nurburgring Edition, made 562 horsepower, and the regular model made 552 horsepower. The most powerful Lexus on sale right now is the LC 500 with a 471 horsepower V8. At least 500 horsepower seems a safe bet for this special RC F, and it will probably come from a massaged version of the 5.0-liter V8 in the regular RC F and LC 500.
Two key questions here:

- How much weight will the Track Edition shed versus the regular RC F? Will it lose, for example, the back seats?

- Will the Track Edition have to observe the "no U.S. CAFE Gas Guzzler Tax" edict that has limited horsepower figures of the vast majority of Lexus' performance lineup? Or will it be exempt as the LFA was?
CRSKTN
552-562 hp as a hurdle, even without any weight reductions puts it at 283-289 hp/ton vs 242 hp/ton of standard. So about a 20% increase. Add in some weight reduction and some smarter bits and pieces, and this could be a pretty attractive track option (especially if it remains NA, which seems likely). I realize that they are not necessarily saying this is more powerful than the LFA, the wording seems a bit vague to take that away from it, but it would be interesting.

What's the likelihood this thing being faster than/comparable to a potential LC F, until an LC F track edition comes along?
Faisal Sheikh
They said, aside from LFA, it will be the quickest (which RCF already is, actually).

It won't be anywhere close to 552 - 562 HP. We get 450 - 460 whp with all naturally aspirated mods out of the RCF (stock is 400 whp). So 450 - 460 whp is around 520 - 525 HP, but the emissions are out the door at that point.

Since it is the same N/A V8 (as appears in spy videos), it can go safely up to 490 - 495 HP with small tweaks easily without emissions being too much of an issue. Also, the weight reduction would be around 250 - 300 lbs (light seats, no back seats, no 17 speaker ML, more carbon fiber) so my guess is around 3670 - 3700 lbs weight and around 490 - 495 HP.


CRSKTN
552-562 hp as a hurdle, even without any weight reductions puts it at 283-289 hp/ton vs 242 hp/ton of standard. So about a 20% increase. Add in some weight reduction and some smarter bits and pieces, and this could be a pretty attractive track option (especially if it remains NA, which seems likely). I realize that they are not necessarily saying this is more powerful than the LFA, the wording seems a bit vague to take that away from it, but it would be interesting.

What's the likelihood this thing being faster than/comparable to a potential LC F, until an LC F track edition comes along?
krew
krew

Lexus RC F Track Edition to Debut at Detroit Auto Show
[​IMG]

The second-fastest Lexus ever built.
View the original article post
Alexander Li
I have been waiting for this kind of update for a long time. I hope it's good.
M
Autoblog just likes to remind everyone that Lexus’ parent company is Toyota. The first word in that article is Toyota, smh...
Joaquin Ruhi
mordecai
Autoblog just likes to remind everyone that Lexus’ parent company is Toyota. The first word in that article is Toyota, smh...
In this particular case, I don't think there was any malice or trolling intended. Rather, it was a reminder that the reputed "blandmobile" carmaker was, in fact, debuting two enthusiast-oriented sports cars (Toyota Supra and Lexus RC F Track Edition) in Detroit.
meth.ix
Is no one talking about that wing? :heart_eyes::heart_eyes::heart_eyes:
Hamed Al Ketbi
Some real exciting news!!! Can’t wait even for the LC’s project as it’s not yet finished!
Faisal Sheikh
Being an RCF owner, one of the most frustrating thing is that the car is making the most power just before rev limiter. It surges/howls all the way and then suddenly rev limiter. Hope they raise the rev limiter a bit to around 7700 - 7800 rpm. It would really make one appreciate the engine even more, but I doubt it will happen.
S
Faisal Sheikh
Being an RCF owner, one of the most frustrating thing is that the car is making the most power just before rev limiter. It surges/howls all the way and then suddenly rev limiter. Hope they raise the rev limiter a bit to around 7700 - 7800 rpm. It would really make one appreciate the engine even more, but I doubt it will happen.
Yes. An engine that peaks right before rev limiter is very suboptimal for track use because it forces an upshift which leads to a loss of power continuity. A good performance engine should always leave at least 10% extra revs after peak so the car is still in the power band after upshift. But in this case it's just Lexus being Lexus because you know, maintaining that reliability reputation is No.1 priority on every car they make. And it's unlikely they will ever change that approach.
A
It will be 473 hp. 472 hp would be too little bump. They will not put engineering hours in an engine, that will be built like maybe five pieces a month, for a twelve month production run.

The car will be stripped of amenities, a little carbon fiber panels here and there and thats it. Still it will be hellishly fast!
S
indeed, it will likely gain no more than 10hp :)... but much lighter.
Faisal Sheikh
Guaranteed it would be 480 - 490 HP as the engine can easily attain that without any engine modifications. It will cost quite a lot more than carbon/TVD RCF (will be around the M4 GTS or at least M4 CS price range) so it will definitely get more power.

Especially, considering in Europe/Japan the RCF and LC500 both are rated identically to 477 DHP/PS (471 BHP) so if RCF GT is "most powerful" then it is definitely much higher than 477 DHP/PS. As soon as they arrive in the North American markets, there is a "marketing" 4 HP difference when the exhaust of Euro-spec RCF is identical to the NA RCF so there is no reasonable explanation of the 4 HP difference.



arrow1982
It will be 473 hp. 472 hp would be too little bump. They will not put engineering hours in an engine, that will be built like maybe five pieces a month, for a twelve month production run.

The car will be stripped of amenities, a little carbon fiber panels here and there and thats it. Still it will be hellishly fast!
Faisal Sheikh
The torque curve is very flat from 4000 rpm to rev cut off. Over 90% available at all times. However, as the revs rise, the gearing torque multiplication is greater, which is why after shifts (drops to 5700 rpm in 1st to 2nd shift), there is definitely a noticeable difference in power at 5500 rpm vs ~7400 rpm. Almost as if Lexus designed an 8000 rpm engine and then bean counters decided to put a rev limiter around 7400 rpm.


ssun30
Yes. An engine that peaks right before rev limiter is very suboptimal for track use because it forces an upshift which leads to a loss of power continuity. A good performance engine should always leave at least 10% extra revs after peak so the car is still in the power band after upshift. But in this case it's just Lexus being Lexus because you know, maintaining that reliability reputation is No.1 priority on every car they make. And it's unlikely they will ever change that approach.
S
Faisal Sheikh
Almost as if Lexus designed an 8000 rpm engine and then bean counters decided to put a rev limiter around 7400 rpm.
And the Camry's 2.5 at 6800 has a higher mean piston speed than the 2UR at 7400. Toyota in their infinite wisdom thinks it's too risky to rev their flagship track car to 8k while it's okay to rev the grocery getter harder.
C
If we look at it from a 0-60 mph standpoint, the LFA hit it in 3.6 seconds which nowadays is M4 CS and RS5 territory.

Now being stated as the second fastest Lexus, I fear the RC F TE at best will hit 60 in the high 3s (from 4.3s today), placing it still in a catch up position to the Germans. So I'm not holding my breath for this metric, however, I'm still hopeful it can outshine them overall on the track.
meth.ix
corradoMR2
If we look at it from a 0-60 mph standpoint, the LFA hit it in 3.6 seconds which nowadays is M4 CS and RS5 territory.

Now being stated as the second fastest Lexus, I fear the RC F TE at best will hit 60 in the high 3s (from 4.3s today), placing it still in a catch up position to the Germans. So I'm not holding my breath for this metric, however, I'm still hopeful it can outshine them overall on the track.
my thoughts exactly, recently Lexus has never produced a proper competitor to the German performance cars, only very close.
Faisal Sheikh
M4 CS might be close in 0-60 mph, but it will get destroyed by the LFA at higher speed (or even around the race track). It won't be near LFA territory (despite LFA being almost 10 years old).

If the RCF also has Cup 2 tires (like all of these other cars) alongside the weight reduction and power increase then it can most likely put down serious lap times in the GT350R, C7 Stringray or M4 GTS league.

corradoMR2
If we look at it from a 0-60 mph standpoint, the LFA hit it in 3.6 seconds which nowadays is M4 CS and RS5 territory.

Now being stated as the second fastest Lexus, I fear the RC F TE at best will hit 60 in the high 3s (from 4.3s today), placing it still in a catch up position to the Germans. So I'm not holding my breath for this metric, however, I'm still hopeful it can outshine them overall on the track.
Joaquin Ruhi
krew
krew

Lexus RC F Track Edition to Debut at Detroit Auto Show
[​IMG]


View the original article post
The official 2019 Detroit Auto Show press conference schedule has been posted. Lexus will host one on Monday 14 January (the sole carmaker press day) starting at 1:10 PM Eastern Time.
Faisal Sheikh
Was hoping it would be earlier than that, but oh well at least it happening and very happy about the RCF being in the limelight again.
M
Their bold claim is kind of a soft proof that LC-F is still far away. At this point we could be certain the earliest would be a facelift MY.
Gecko


https://www2.motorauthority.com/news/1117859_2020-lexus-rc-f-track-edition-spy-shots
C
Maybe at least 100kg lighter than the normal RC F? Just like the LFA Nurburgring Package is 100kg lighter than the normal LFA.

I wonder will Toyota and Lexus continue to evolve the 5.0L V8 2UR-GSE, since they are going to run the LC500 again this year at the 24 Hours Nurburgring.
Faisal Sheikh
About 150 - 200 lbs max. Around 3750 lbs or so at best because the safety equipment etc. weight will still stay. Around 500 - 505 HP is my guess with a free flowing exhaust.

LFA Nürburgring Editions with navi, ML stereo etc. were barely 100 lbs lighter than the standard LFA. From what I remember, it weighed 3350 lbs for the Sport Auto supertest.

carguy420
Maybe at least 100kg lighter than the normal RC F? Just like the LFA Nurburgring Package is 100kg lighter than the normal LFA.

I wonder will Toyota and Lexus continue to evolve the 5.0L V8 2UR-GSE, since they are going to run the LC500 again this year at the 24 Hours Nurburgring.
krew
carguy420
I wonder will Toyota and Lexus continue to evolve the 5.0L V8 2UR-GSE, since they are going to run the LC500 again this year at the 24 Hours Nurburgring.
I honestly don't know the future for the 5.0L V8 -- all the rumors point to a 4.0L twin-turbo for the LC F/LS F, maybe they lower the displacement on this engine?
Faisal Sheikh
krew
I honestly don't know the future for the 5.0L V8 -- all the rumors point to a 4.0L twin-turbo for the LC F/LS F, maybe they lower the displacement on this engine?
Yeah, definitely it is on its way out. Turbo sixes is the way of the future for Lexus F.

F