Lexus RC F GT Concept Ready for Racing
Lexus has just released their RC F GT Concept car that effectively bridges the gap between the road-legal Lexus RC F and the RC F GT3 racecar that will soon compete in IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The concept car was produced by Lexus’ development center in Japan, supported by the Lexus International Motorsports Group.
Unveiled in 2014, the Lexus RC has already spawned a hot RC F version and three different race cars in either production or concept form. That’s quite a lot for a vehicle that has been around for only a couple of years, but for Lexus, it’s not enough.
Dubbed RC F GT Concept, it is a further development of the vehicle with the same name that Justin Bell drove to fifth place in the Time Attack class at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in June 2015. As the name suggests, it’s only a concept car and Lexus didn’t say whether it will evolve into a full-fledged race car or spawn a track-ready, road-legal version of the coupe. The company did mention that it is positioned between the street-legal RC F and the full-bore RC F GT3 race car that will soon compete in IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Large-scale use of composite materials reduce the car’s weight by a whopping 800 lbs (363 kg) compared to the production RC F. The heavy RC F originally weighed a firm 1740 kilograms, but the concept car brings it down to 1420 kg. The GT Concept will pack the same engine as the regular RC F, the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8. Linked to the 8-speed automatic transmission the concept car similarly produces 467 hp, reaching its peak performance in the high 7100 rpm.
The RC F GT concept boasts modified lubrication and cooling systems and a performance exhaust system. Further vital enhancements that characterize the concept as a track-oriented car are the reinforced suspension for improved durability and increased adjustability, while software changes to the Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) control system ultimately prepare the car for track use.
Even though there are no signs of evolution on the outside, this concept is downright aggressive and looks like an RC F on steroids. It’s nearly as menacing as the GT3-spec car, featuring numerous aerodynamic add-on and a massive rear wing atop its trunk lid. The canards on each side of the front bumper and the diffuser are clear signs that this RC F was tuned for track use.
“The GT Concept shows the opportunities of the platform and powertrain that underpins our F models,” said Jeff Bracken, group vice president and general manager, Lexus division. “The high performance RC F coupe and GS F sedan are geared toward enthusiast drivers and make a very strong statement about Lexus’ engineering capabilities.”
The concept car will be displayed at Long Beach and driven by Lexus pro drivers Scott Pruett and Roger Yasukawa.
Interested in Lexus’s current offerings? Visit us at Lexus of Highland Park for a test drive!
