Lexus LC500: Black Inspiration
Discussion
After a not-that-long-but-long-enough wait, I collected her from Lexus Hedge End this morning. 
In the flesh the paint is amazing, works so well with the darker chrome and carbon elements - and the wheels that I was not 100% on are stunning in reality.
One thing that has rung true from the various reviews and my own experience is this: pictures do not do the LC500 justice, in the flesh they are jaw dropping IMO.
I have done about 70 miles in the car; a mixture of Motorway, A road, B road, unadopted road and ridiculous traffic. Nothing phased it, the ride is sublime and when you give the throttle a tickle it sounds amazing and goes very well. It's far from being the fastest car in it's class, but that misses the point - the LC is just an event and makes you feel good no matter what you are doing. In my head it's somewhere between a Maserati GT and a Vantage, but generally very Lexus - which is a good thing.
I'll update this thread as time goes by with my experiences and general life with it; I've no intention of selling the LC - it's going to be with me until they carry me out in a box!
On to the pics... a mixture of good, bad and awful, but in my defence I've been running about like an excited 6 year old all day!
edited - fixing the picture issues as I changed hosts
In the flesh the paint is amazing, works so well with the darker chrome and carbon elements - and the wheels that I was not 100% on are stunning in reality.
One thing that has rung true from the various reviews and my own experience is this: pictures do not do the LC500 justice, in the flesh they are jaw dropping IMO.
I have done about 70 miles in the car; a mixture of Motorway, A road, B road, unadopted road and ridiculous traffic. Nothing phased it, the ride is sublime and when you give the throttle a tickle it sounds amazing and goes very well. It's far from being the fastest car in it's class, but that misses the point - the LC is just an event and makes you feel good no matter what you are doing. In my head it's somewhere between a Maserati GT and a Vantage, but generally very Lexus - which is a good thing.
I'll update this thread as time goes by with my experiences and general life with it; I've no intention of selling the LC - it's going to be with me until they carry me out in a box!
On to the pics... a mixture of good, bad and awful, but in my defence I've been running about like an excited 6 year old all day!
edited - fixing the picture issues as I changed hosts
Edited by BrettMRC on Friday 28th October 07:57
Edited by BrettMRC on Friday 28th October 08:08
A few more pics and the obligatory start-up video! 
(I'll get some rear end shots next time I take her out)
A lot of dust floating around in those pics - goes with the territory around here sadly, along with a ton of dog hair!
edit - removed broken picture links, uploaded some others
(I'll get some rear end shots next time I take her out)A lot of dust floating around in those pics - goes with the territory around here sadly, along with a ton of dog hair!
edit - removed broken picture links, uploaded some others
Edited by BrettMRC on Friday 28th October 07:59
I should get a chance to put her up on some ramps tomorrow with a view to looking at what might/might not need doing to keep things in A1 condition. (Cavity wax etc, although with the way this car is made that might not be feasible)
Either way, will try and get some pics!
Borrowed pic below shows a little of how they go together...
Either way, will try and get some pics!
Borrowed pic below shows a little of how they go together...
Thanks for all the kind words!
I took her to the Haynes workshop today to have a look at what might be viable in terms of future corrosion prevention without stripping off half the underside. Plan is to get the subframes, rails and mounting points coated and then see how she is fairing after a year or two. (The LC is garaged, but won't be 100% a fair weather car, so want to give it the best chance of making it to classic status in the future without needing a load of work!)
The wax will be applied in a couple of weeks time.
Also got in a couple of rear end pics as requested.
On the way home the universe decided to show me that it's impossible to have nice things in the shape of a stone launched off an oncoming HGV!
101 miles and already got a 3" scratch on the bonnet and chips in the screen!
I took her to the Haynes workshop today to have a look at what might be viable in terms of future corrosion prevention without stripping off half the underside. Plan is to get the subframes, rails and mounting points coated and then see how she is fairing after a year or two. (The LC is garaged, but won't be 100% a fair weather car, so want to give it the best chance of making it to classic status in the future without needing a load of work!)
The wax will be applied in a couple of weeks time.
Also got in a couple of rear end pics as requested.
On the way home the universe decided to show me that it's impossible to have nice things in the shape of a stone launched off an oncoming HGV!
101 miles and already got a 3" scratch on the bonnet and chips in the screen!
Edited by BrettMRC on Wednesday 24th August 08:37
Edited by BrettMRC on Friday 28th October 08:07
bolidemichael said:
How many miles on this thing? It looks looked immaculated (sorrynotsorry).
102 miles in total so far
ric p said:
That is one epic motor, and I’m not really a Japanese car fan. But it is glorious. Just seen your Haynes reference and see you are from Somerset way.
Please bring it to the Breakfast on this Sunday so we can have a look at it in the flesh.
I can't make this weekends one as too much on, but I'm already booked in for the 3rd July. Please bring it to the Breakfast on this Sunday so we can have a look at it in the flesh.
F1GTRUeno said:
On the contrary, apologies to OP but it looks infinitely duller in black on black (on black).
In red it shines and shows off the styling so well, silver wheels and cream interior is perfect.
I'm still incredibly jealous though, even in dull black it's a wonderful thing.
I can't disagree that some of the colour combinations are really good, had I gone for a cabriolet then I would have chosen brighter colours. This car being a black inspiration edition, there is no choice beyond some red inserts for the interior. (I didn't spec those because I think it looked a little odd)In red it shines and shows off the styling so well, silver wheels and cream interior is perfect.
I'm still incredibly jealous though, even in dull black it's a wonderful thing.
The paint is graphite black - so depending on the lighting it looks well...black... or dark grey metallic. (Looks a lot better in the flesh)
https://www.evo.co.uk/lexus/204272/lexus-lc500-bla...
Edited by BrettMRC on Wednesday 1st June 10:05
bolidemichael said:
BrettMRC said:
bolidemichael said:
How many miles on this thing? It looks looked immaculated (sorrynotsorry).
102 miles in total so far
I ordered this one on Nov 1st last year when the Black Inspiration was announced.
Wilton Wake-Up: East meets West.
Great turn out of cars; everything from a Ford GT to a Hyundai N series
I got a few pics as we were lining up in the courtyard, the rest are rubbish and it got quite crowded so getting good shots became really hard. (The event photographer was really struggling, poor sod!)
She's now in for a ceramic coating, hopefully ready for the weekend.
Great turn out of cars; everything from a Ford GT to a Hyundai N series
I got a few pics as we were lining up in the courtyard, the rest are rubbish and it got quite crowded so getting good shots became really hard. (The event photographer was really struggling, poor sod!)
She's now in for a ceramic coating, hopefully ready for the weekend.
Edited by BrettMRC because of change to image hosting innit
Edited by BrettMRC on Friday 28th October 08:16
The hybrid didn't really appeal as the V8 sounds so much better and goes way better too...
...although if I was doing 25k a year the hybrid would be a more relaxed choice.
The hybrid is not a bad car by any stretch of the imagination.
Lexus Coventry have hybrid black Inspiration in stock!
...although if I was doing 25k a year the hybrid would be a more relaxed choice.
The hybrid is not a bad car by any stretch of the imagination.
Lexus Coventry have hybrid black Inspiration in stock!
Edited by BrettMRC on Sunday 19th June 20:16
Edited by BrettMRC on Monday 20th June 08:20 because I can't spell or type...
Edited by BrettMRC on Monday 20th June 08:20
Rider007 said:
Admit this is a stunning car but kerb weight of 1935-1970kg according to spec sheet ?. Would rather have an Emira 500kg less and manual to boot.
An LC500 wouldn't know which way the Emira went on a track, however one is a GT and the other is a sports car...like comparing a ballet dancer and a rugby player!LincolnLovin said:
Did you get the paint chips sorted? I still need to get mine professionally done. But the touch up paint is “ok” for now.
The hybrid is a much better long distance cruiser than the v8 imo - far less cabin noise, although I’ve not tried closing the valves on a long drive to see if that helps (logically they should be closed already in std config)
I was close to getting a hybrid, it can easily do 500-600 miles on a run.
It's a lot better than it was, under the ceramic coating it is hard to see.The hybrid is a much better long distance cruiser than the v8 imo - far less cabin noise, although I’ve not tried closing the valves on a long drive to see if that helps (logically they should be closed already in std config)
I was close to getting a hybrid, it can easily do 500-600 miles on a run.
Worth noting that the paint is/was incredible soft so they have to work very gently and blend in carefully when dealing with the area.
I'm dropping it off this afternoon/in the morning for the cavity wax - so will see then about getting it painted. (I may just leave it as it is, you really do have to go looking for it to spot it now)
I spotted a hybrid LC500 last week near me, being used as someones daily commuter I think.
After some chasing and a little back and forth between the dealer and Lexus UK I've managed to get some details on why it has a "bespoke build" plate and not a numbered plate like the overseas ones do.
Essentially, they are not doing numbers on these editions in the UK, other markets may vary.
They expect to build between 13-15 black inspirations for the UK, with 3 having been ordered so far; this one is confirmed as No.1 for the UK with a build date of 10/02/2022. (Global production of the Black Inspiration will stop in March 23)
Would be nice to get a plate or certificate like they do in the USA, but really just a 1st World Problem!
Essentially, they are not doing numbers on these editions in the UK, other markets may vary.
They expect to build between 13-15 black inspirations for the UK, with 3 having been ordered so far; this one is confirmed as No.1 for the UK with a build date of 10/02/2022. (Global production of the Black Inspiration will stop in March 23)
Would be nice to get a plate or certificate like they do in the USA, but really just a 1st World Problem!
Edited by BrettMRC on Friday 28th October 08:19
Had a nice run out to the Haynes breakfast club yesterday, followed by Upton Bridge farm shop.
Having fun and games with the exhaust valve controller I got from Etsy, the seller has had to change some components due to supply issues and it's basically pickig up electrical noise on shut down and sending the actuators a little mental...for now I'm running it in a safe mode via the dip switches and the seller is looking into a fix. (Looks like the last batch he made are all equally borked due to this component)
Starting to wonder about an Armytrix exhaust now, to make up for th fact the '22 LC is quieter than the early ones due to the additional particulate filters...
Having fun and games with the exhaust valve controller I got from Etsy, the seller has had to change some components due to supply issues and it's basically pickig up electrical noise on shut down and sending the actuators a little mental...for now I'm running it in a safe mode via the dip switches and the seller is looking into a fix. (Looks like the last batch he made are all equally borked due to this component)
Starting to wonder about an Armytrix exhaust now, to make up for th fact the '22 LC is quieter than the early ones due to the additional particulate filters...
Edited by BrettMRC on Friday 28th October 08:20
LincolnLovin said:
whats the plan with the other one, ship it back to him?
How is your gearbox btw, does it stumble occasionally or hesitant when pulling up but then having to drive on (roundabounds or similar). Very occasionally mine seems to hunt around for a gear when starting off in that situation, requiring more pedal to force it to make a decision.
The gearbox is normally golden but there are a couple of times when its firmer in changes than I would expect.
Funnily enough I was just looking at a similar post on Lexus OC!How is your gearbox btw, does it stumble occasionally or hesitant when pulling up but then having to drive on (roundabounds or similar). Very occasionally mine seems to hunt around for a gear when starting off in that situation, requiring more pedal to force it to make a decision.
The gearbox is normally golden but there are a couple of times when its firmer in changes than I would expect.
I've not even done 400miles yet, so not 100% familiar with the car - but can't say I've noticed any hesistations or hunting so far, it's not always very smooth pulling away in a hurry when in comfort mode is the only thing I've noted... in sport etc it's fine. Haven't dared try eco yet though!
He hasn't said about what to do with the borked box as and when the time comes yet...
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