Lexus RC F | PH Auction Block

Lexus is lining up a driver-focused coupe once more - time to revisit a brilliant past master

It’s been too long since the world has seen a Japanese super GT with a V8 in it, so there’s an awful lot riding on the new TGR GT. The world expects, basically. Indeed, so much is expected of it that the other very significant debut earlier this month, of the Lexus LFA concept, passed with much less fanfare. Partly that’ll be the LFA’s EV status, and partly because of just how much the GR brand is now loved. But if Lexus is feeling confident enough to resurrect the LFA badge, famously last used on one of the greatest supercars of the 21st century, then it must be cooking up something special. Certainly a pair of very intriguing cars, the GT and LFA.

However they turn out, though, both Toyota and Lexus will be expensive propositions. These are proper supercars, after all - a level above and beyond what we’ve seen from both brands in recent years. Which is exciting, no doubt, but for Lexus at least it would suggest a move away from the more attainable ‘F’ models for now. Fondly remembered models like the RC F, for example. Maybe a new generation of LFA will serve as the halo car for a new era of electrified F models, much as the V10 model did, but that would be some way off. Whereas the auction for this Lexus starts on Christmas day…

In some ways, the RC F was absolutely typical Lexus. The interior was a bit baffling but fantastically built, the reliability wasn’t really in any question, nor was the upmarket feel of the thing. The F apple didn’t fall far from the Lexus tree, or so it would seem. But on the other hand, the RC was as far from the Lexus norm as it was possible to imagine, powered by a snarling 5.0-litre V8, boasting sensational good looks and seemingly never happier than when driven sideways. The juxtaposition was appealing, because it could play both the cushy Lexus and rorty hot rod simultaneously.

Alright, so it wasn’t as sharp to drive as an M4, or as fast as an AMG. Anyone coming from an Audi would have needed a week to figure out the interior. All that, plus the badge, meant that the Lexus sold in fewer numbers than its rivals. Bad news for the potential future of the badge here, but great news for a prospective secondhand customer, because it means the RC F is rare, cool and interesting. You see M cars every day - a Lexus F spot is a proper occasion.

While there were tweaks and updates throughout the RC’s decade on sale, the fundamentals remained the same throughout; an earlier version like this 2017 car will be just as charismatic as those that followed in the years after. Once more, it was an issue for the F as a new car - rivals were updated, and it continued mostly unaltered - while making life simpler for the used buyer.

This one, even by RC F standards, looks ace, thanks to a black over red colourway and recent machine polish. It’s covered less than 40,000 miles since 2017, the MOT runs until June, and there are four new Michelins at each corner. It’s even still covered by a Lexus warranty until 2027, which is when we’ll see that GR GT for real. How many C63s do you reckon are still under manufacturer warranty almost a decade later? Exactly. While we eagerly await the return of Japanese V8 heroes, you could do a whole lot worse than enjoy one of the past masters. Just don’t forget about your other Christmas obligations on the 25th…

See the original listing

OP Posts Only

Prev 2 Next

OP Posts Only

Author

Discussion

Fetchez la vache

Original Poster

5,849 posts

234 months