1st Generation Lexus RC 300, 350, F and Track Edition Megathread

[Levi]

That's very strange cross-shopping.

Makes sense to me, even though it is not my logic. There is more to cross-shopping than simple comparison between same cars from different brands.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

I was initially confused by that lineup, but I think I get the logic. Performance luxury, with some of the cars weighted more towards performance and some more towards luxury/"true GT". The RCF splits the difference so I'm not entirely surprised it's where that person ended up.

 

[CRSKTN]

That's very strange cross-shopping.

Its called financing deal shopping.

This is not how people with money behave.

 

[CRSKTN]

I was initially confused by that lineup, but I think I get the logic. Performance luxury, with some of the cars weighted more towards performance and some more towards luxury/"true GT". The RCF splits the difference so I'm not entirely surprised it's where that person ended up.

It makes zero sense Ian.

This person probably only could get approved for some crazy loan on the RCF because itll be worth something when it gets repod and isnt too expensive to start.

 

[Randen Montalvo]

I was initially confused by that lineup, but I think I get the logic. Performance luxury, with some of the cars weighted more towards performance and some more towards luxury/"true GT". The RCF splits the difference so I'm not entirely surprised it's where that person ended up.

Makes sense to me, not optimal nor logical to my brain, but I get it also.

 

[Gor134]

 

[F1 Silver Arrows]

Jeez 8:07 is insanely slow.

EDIT: Oh, never mind. There is a genuine reason why it is much slower.

The RC F Track Edition's lap time could have been faster if the suspension set-up had been more aggressive. With only 0 degrees 40 minutes of negative camber on the front axle, the set-up was very conservative. A cup tyre instead of the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 could further improve the mechanical grip. In addition, the V8 only had 437 hp instead of the rated power of 464 hp during the power measurement. More information in the Supertest in sport auto 3/2025.

 

[ssun30]

So the Lexus performance flagship in 2025 is slower than the R33 Skyline GT-R and gen 1 NSX, two cars from almost 30 years ago, and almost a minute slower than their own flagship 15 years ago. It doesn't matter how many excuses they have. Those old cars have about the same tire grip as a Camry today.

That sums up the state of the F brand today and that's why nobody is going to miss it if they discontinue the name. Meister Naruse must be spinning in his grave if he saw such a humiliating lap time.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

Just checking C&B for giggles, this sold for $82.5K at the end of January

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/KPm5AkqQ/2024-lexus-rc-f-track-edition

 

[ssun30]

Jeez 8:07 is insanely slow.

EDIT: Oh, never mind. There is a genuine reason why it is much slower.

Their dyno shows 315PS at the wheels, that makes it only 68% achievement ratio if we believe the official claim 464PS is true.

On the same dyno they tested the M4 CSL to have 483PS at the wheels and 568PS total. Using BMW's official claim of 550PS that's 88% achievement ratio. So either Lexus over-reported their horsepower or their drivetrain is so inefficient that they lose almost 100PS more than the competition.

 

[Faisal Sheikh]

Their dyno shows 315PS at the wheels, that makes it only 68% achievement ratio if we believe the official claim 464PS is true.

On the same dyno they tested the M4 CSL to have 483PS at the wheels and 568PS total. Using BMW's official claim of 550PS that's 88% achievement ratio. So either Lexus over-reported their horsepower or their drivetrain is so inefficient that they lose almost 100PS more than the competition.

It is the European de-tuned RCF due to CAFE emissions regulations. I agree, 315 whp even relative to 464 PS, is a huge powertrain loss. RCF engine is extremely sensitive to octane levels. I see a very noticeable difference even between Octane 91 and 94. RCFs typically dyno at 400 - 410 whp SAE corrected (RR Racing got a freak 40K mile RCF that dyno'ed at 427 whp bone stock) in North America. 315 whp is baffling as to what is going on there.

Also, the car was fitted with a severely downgraded Michelin Pilot Sport 5 tires that are not meant for track purposes, which were the replacement for the Michelin Pilot Sport 4. The direct replacement for the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S that RCF comes standard with, is the Michelin Pilot Sport S 5. That resulted in a loss of 2 - 3% per lap time. Why the car had such hugely downgraded tires on it? Probably, a borrowed car from a private owner as RCF was discontinued 2 years ago in Europe so there were no press cars from Lexus.

8:07 is like E92 M3-level slow to put things in perspective.

The car has proven to be capable of 7:40s as was done by Julius (a German owner). This is yet another travesty where the car did not live up to its true potential.

 

[Faisal Sheikh]

RCF: Stock (mid cat delete) + 1 passenger
G80 m340i: XHP trans tune

 

[carguy420]

So the Lexus performance flagship in 2025 is slower than the R33 Skyline GT-R and gen 1 NSX, two cars from almost 30 years ago, and almost a minute slower than their own flagship 15 years ago. It doesn't matter how many excuses they have. Those old cars have about the same tire grip as a Camry today.

That sums up the state of the F brand today and that's why nobody is going to miss it if they discontinue the name. Meister Naruse must be spinning in his grave if he saw such a humiliating lap time.

Idk why TMC always set up their cars so conservatively, unless it's a Toyota-badge RWD performance car, with the LFA, certain generations of the Starlet GT Turbo and the AE111 Levin/Trueno being the exceptions.

Their other F cars are like this, the 3 generation of the Celica GT-FOUR frequently gets trashed on the track by other similarly priced performance cars in those old Best Motoring videos, all the marketing hoo-ha surrounding the GR Yaris and GR Corolla might make one think they will handle like Lancer Evolutions, but instead they more like if the later gen WRX STIs were developed properly.

 

[Faisal Sheikh]

Idk why TMC always set up their cars so conservatively, unless it's a Toyota-badge RWD performance car, with the LFA, certain generations of the Starlet GT Turbo and the AE111 Levin/Trueno being the exceptions.

Their other F cars are like this, the 3 generation of the Celica GT-FOUR frequently gets trashed on the track by other similarly priced performance cars in those old Best Motoring videos, all the marketing hoo-ha surrounding the GR Yaris and GR Corolla might make one think they will handle like Lancer Evolutions, but instead they more like if the later gen WRX STIs were developed properly.

Like I said, one cannot expect a car to run a really good lap time if it is running on wrong tires (it was not a press RCF) and the fact that they claim the car is dyno'ing almost at 100 whp less than what it typically dynos at in North American markets. The only rational explanation is the EU CAFE standards completely destroying V8s. Not just the RCF, the Mustang GT, C8 Z06 all make significantly less power in Europe.

A example of AutoBild Germany lap times from a few years ago that were done with press RCFs and before they got de-tuned with far less power to meet CAFE standards, they seem to be more in-line with what one would expect

RCF TE: 1:37.9
F82 BMW M4: 1:37.2
RCF (standard with TVD): 1:39

 

[ssun30]

The car has proven to be capable of 7:40s as was done by Julius (a German owner). This is yet another travesty where the car did not live up to its true potential.

That was BTG time.

 

[Faisal Sheikh]

That was BTG time.

True. However, it was done by a non-pro on tourist day with traffic so I am factoring that in. That automatically is about a 10 second difference from when it is testing day. Given the lack of power and the wrong tires, I 100% agree with Sport Auto that this is the best they could do, given the handicap. The 100 whp less than what typically RCF dynos with 3800+ lbs, the power to weight ratio on such a fast track is simply not there. On Dottinger Hohe (long straight), the lack of power is apparent.

Hisotircally, Sport Auto struggled with Japanese cars. The ISF ran a 8:19 with Horst Von Saurma. LFA NE officially with Akira Iida did 7:14 while Horst Von Saurma with the same publication (SportAuto) did it in 20 seconds slower (7:34). Again, being in the middle of it in 2011, I remember finding a lot of questions raised in that test.

 

[Faisal Sheikh]

Lexus RCF Final Edition brochure released.

https://archive.ph/HE2gu

Also, something I have mentioned over the years that the best thing about the RCF is not the engine, but actually its chassis. Lexus confirms the so-called "frankenstein" chassis of RCF exactly in its form underpins the RCF GT3 as per homologation rules (and explains why RCF was in production for 11 years).

 

[Faisal Sheikh]

Inside the push to give IMSA's longest-serving car a proper send-off

Drivers rarely get to fall in love with cars these days, as they’re phased out and replaced as quickly as they are introduced. But that’s not the case for the Lexus RC F GT3, and its drivers are ru…

racer.com

Inside the push to give IMSA's longest-serving car a proper send-off​

Drivers rarely get to fall in love with cars these days, as they’re phased out and replaced as quickly as they are introduced.

But that’s not the case for the Lexus RC F GT3, and its drivers are running out of time to give the eight-year-old machine the send-off it deserves.

With a new Toyota/Lexus GT3-level car anticipated for 2026, this looks to be the RC F’s last year in IMSA, and we’re almost upon the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, which is the last race it won in the GTD PRO class with Ben Barnicoat, Jack Hawksworth and Kyle Kirkwood driving the No. 14 last year.

It was one of the finest victories for the car, with a class record pole position followed up with it bouncing back from an early drive-through penalty.

A perfect call from engineer Geoff Fickling to pit the car before an incident brought out a yellow put it back in contention. Hawksworth took over to finish the race, lost the lead with just under 40 minutes to go, but then fought back and passed Daniel Serra with 20 minutes remaining to push the RC F over the finish line for a 0.121s win after 12 hours of dogfighting.

“That’s a memory I’ll have for a long time, fighting for the win at Sebring, right at the death. It was super, super exciting,” Hawksworth tells RACER, while Barnicoat adds: “Jack’s a killer, and everyone who watched that race last year got to see how good he is.”

There are similarities developing between that race and the one coming up next month. In 2024 and ’25 the team had pretty nightmarish Rolex 24 AT Daytona weekends, struggling for pace and failing to execute to the best of their ability.

But a recent Sebring test where Aaron Telitz – replacing Hawksworth in that line-up this year as the latter switches to the No. 12 GTD car with Parker Thompson – was fastest in the GTD PRO class on the opening day points to the potential for a similar result to 2024.

“One of the things that amazes me about this group and this team, is that every time we go to a track, we always seem to be able to make it a little bit better,” says Barnicoat, who will lead the No. 14 line-up with Kirkwood and Telitz at Sebring.

The Lexus’s most recent GTD PRO victory came in a thriller at Sebring last year. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images
“Our test went really well. We were able to find some gains in terms of chassis and handling to hopefully put us in a good position when we get here.”

It’s interesting that races like Sebring have become a forte for this car. Hawksworth reckons that when the car was introduced – and he was driving it back in 2017 – its bodywork and some of the mechanicals were weaker than the opposition, which made the sprint races the more likely target for success than the endurance counters.

But the team won Petit Le Mans in 2022 and Sebring in 2024, showing the work Toyota Racing Development and Vasser Sullivan have done to elevate the car to the next level and blunt those weaknesses. It’s still potent in the shorter races too, winning at Long Beach in the GTD class with Barnicoat and Thompson last year.

While it is a much older car, which means it doesn’t have the reachable upside of its newer rivals, age does have its benefits. The team knows the car inside out, its strengths and weaknesses, and can adapt. It knows what breaks, what needs nursing, what can be pushed for every last bit of performance. This all helps to keep the car competitive over a season.

“You can be the slowest car on the track, and if you execute a clean race, you have good pit stops, you don’t make mistakes, you stay out of trouble, you get good restarts… even if you don’t have the pace, if you do everything else correctly, you’re going to get something out of the race,” says Hawksworth. “Especially in an IMSA race, where so much stuff happens and there’s so many opportunities to mess up.”

Of course, there are murmurings of what the RC F’s replacement will look like and testing has already begun. But thanks to their affinity with the old car, the drivers are desperate to send it off with success.

Hawskworth (left) has been driving the RC F since 2017. The Brit has moved across to Vasser Sullivan’s GTD entry for 2025, and is aiming to send the car off into retirement on a high note. Michael Levitt/IMSA
“You can see that the end for the RC F is certainly on the horizon,” says Hawksworth.

“We’re not going to be racing this car for much longer. So if anything, I’d say it’s a little bit of added motivation to try and send it off with… my target would be to win another endurance race this year, and then to try and win the championship and to end on the biggest high possible.”

Part of getting the most out of the older-spec car is the quality of the driver line-up, which in this case is undoubtedly one of the best on the grid. Barnicoat and Hawksworth especially have led the way for this group, and while obviously every team needs teamwork, the way this team brings together drivers is special.

The lead drivers Vasser Sullivan have used often come from single-seater backgrounds, which means they are used to fighting their teammates as bitter rivals on the cutthroat ladder to the next championship. That’s not proven to be a pitfall for this team’s line-ups in sports cars where working together is key, and that’s testament to the selflessness of the drivers involved.

“Everyone knows full well that when you’re coming up through junior single-seaters, your teammates are your number one enemies,” says Barnicoat. “If you want to make it, you’ve got to beat them.

“Yes, when you start sports cars, it is a shift, but actually, it’s something that I’ve grown to really love and really enjoy about sports cars. At this point now where I am in my career, it’s quite nice to share moments with others and also, share a bit of pressure and things like that. It’s not all on your shoulders.”

Barnicoat and Hawksworth were split this season, with the former leading the No. 14 GTD PRO car and the latter in charge of the No. 12 GTD effort. Both were spectacular alongside Kyle Kirkwood last year at Sebring, but splitting them up might even give the team a greater chance of success.

There’s absolutely no feeling sorry for the RC F and its age as other teams bring new cars and evos every year which raises the bar for what this class of car can achieve.

There’s only desire and belief that after eight years, and a year-long winless streak in GTD Pro, the success isn’t over.

“I think we can still be competitive this year, and I will be very, very disappointed if we don’t win races and we don’t compete for the championship,” says Hawksworth of the No. 12 GTD car. “So I’m not saying we will, but I hope we do. I’m working, and I know the team’s working. We’re in this thing.”

Sebring is certainly a much happier hunting ground than Daytona for Lexus, so now it’s time to see if the RC F rolls out of pitlane another year wiser, or another year older to its detriment.

It’s won Sebring, Petit Le Mans and the 2023 GTD PRO championship in IMSA. But Lexus and Vasser Sullivan are still trying to squeeze out every molecule of success from this car before it retires into the sunset.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

 

[Faisal Sheikh]

Painful to watch. The driver probably never went over 60 mph with that horrible suspension. A lot of RCFs are plagued with horrible "more show than go" aftermarket suspension. This is just one of those. The guy did not even know that RCF is a completely different car than the ISF. No clue why did he even bother to bring it to be driven around Nurburgring.