What It Is: A coupe companion to the recently launched IS that may be badged as the RC. Lexus holds trademarks on both “RC350” and “RC F,” and such a change to the two-door IS’s moniker would make sense considering the trend in this direction—the coupe version of Audi’s A4 being called A5, and BMW recently opting to launch the latest 3-series coupe as the 4-series. This particular example is a step up from the 306-hp IS350 F Sport not just in performance, but in attitude. That’s evident in the flared fenders hiding under that cute curlicue camo, the functional hood scoop, an abundance of oversized intakes and vents, and the lip spoiler.
Why It Matters: Lexus’s vice president of international operations, Mark Templin, told Automotive News, “The coupe market is . . . not an enormous market, but it's an important segment in terms of what it does for image. I think a coupe could change perceptions of our brand." He’s right. And taking the fight to AMG, M, and Quattro is a fine place to start.
Platform: The RC F will make use of the same humble architecture as does the IS350 F Sport and the standard IS, which is a truncated version of the GS’s underpinnings. The IS’s double-A-arm front suspension and multilink rear setup will have spent a substantial amount of time at the Nürburgring being optimized in order to match the times of the RC F’s German competition.
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Powertrain: The 5.0-liter V-8 that motivated the IS F likely won’t live to see Lexus’s new-gen F offerings. With the eight-pot unlikely to meet Euro 6 emissions standards, we expect a switch to a forced-induction version of the 3.5-liter V-6 used in a number of “350”-badged Lexuses. This engine features a unique twin-injection setup—that’s direct and port—and was previously supercharged for Toyota’s Japanese-market Mark X +M Supercharger model. In that application, the mill produced 360 horsepower but expect Lexus to get output nearer 450 horses. There is some question, however, as to whether the brand will continue development with the supercharger or if a switch to turbocharging is in the works. Judging by the video below, however, it sounds as though a new-generation V-8 could be powering Lexus's new breed of F variants. But without a clearer audio sample or witnessing the RC F's bark in person, we believe that it's possible that this is the growl of the brand'sbaritone 3.5-liter V-6 in a heavily modified state of tune.
Don’t expect anything other than an automatic—Lexus previously told us it estimated it sold just one manual-equipped IS in all of 2012—and a return of the eight-speed in the current IS F wouldn’t be surprising. It’s possible that Lexus will turn to all-wheel drive, although we believe that with such an emphasis being placed on this car’s emotional component, rear-wheel drive will be the only way to go.
Competition: Audi RS5, BMW M4, Cadillac ATS-V, Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG coupe.
Estimated Arrival and Price: We hear that the RC will bow this fall. There happen to be two shows opening simultaneously in November: Los Angeles and Tokyo. Considering the former is of utmost importance to the brand and the latter is its home market, we’d put our money on one of those two—if not a joint debut. The F variant, however, likely won’t be revealed to the public until some months thereafter. Lexus will have the Germans firmly in its sights, and a base price in the low-$60,000 range—the norm for the segment—seems logical.
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