Japan’s Super GT series is full of wild-looking race cars, and Lexus is adding one more to the pack next season by replacing its current RC F GT500 with this very angular LC 500 GT500.
Where the road-going LC 500 is a rather curvaceous luxury sports coupe, the racer sprouts sharp edges to slice and dice through the field. Wearing large fender flares, a massive rear wing, and a humungous diffuser, the car definitely looks capable of sticking to the track.
While the LC 500 at dealers uses either a 467-horsepower (348-kilowatt) 5.0-liter V8 or a 354-hp (264-kW) hybrid 3.5-liter V6, the GT500 racer has to adhere to the series rules by using a turbocharged, direct-injected 2.0-liter four-cylinder. Rather than a 10-speed automatic, the power gets to the road through a six-speed sequential gearbox.
Lexus’ flagship coupe will hit the track publicly for the first time in September for a test session. It’ll make a competition debut next spring. We can't wait to see on circuits around Japan.
The 2016 Super GT season is still in progress, and there are four races to go. The Nismo team currently leads the GT500 standings, but Lexus squads hold the second through fourth places.
Source: Toyota Gazoo Racing
Gallery: 2017 Lexus LC500 Super GT
