The chaps in crisp white coats at Lexus have been working hard over the winter to come up with the show car for the New York Motor Show.
The result is the new LF-C luxury sports coupe concept car which was unveiled a few days ago and is being used to test the waters for a bit of a new design direction at Lexus.
The LF-C comes complete with a four-position retractable hardtop. The mechanism allows the car to transform itself at the touch of a button from a coupe to a convertible, to a targa or to a speedster, depending on the driver’s mood, speed, prevailing weather conditions and presence of headwear or bouffant.
Up front is a high power V8 engine with a six-speed sequential automatic transmission driving the rear wheels.
"We used a combination of convex and concave surfaces to control the balance of light and shadow on the car which creates this beautiful contrast of having sharp lines within the sculpted exterior surfaces
," said Kevin Hunter, vice president of Calty Design Research, Inc. "The idea was to create a sense of strength and softness at the same time, adding an air of mystery
."
Other innovations include drive-by-wire steering and Formula One inspired shifter and steering wheel with the gauges stacked along the steering column axis, ascending toward the base of the windscreen. The gauges are transparent, with needles moving from the ring, rather than the centre.
There's no word on where Lexus are going with this but a favourable reaction would see many of the ideas incorporated into the next generation sports coupe.