2019 Lexus LC500 Coupe

Description

The Lexus LC500 is that rare machine that really has no direct rival in the market. Ever since the first LS400 sedan arrived here in 1990, the Lexus brand has established itself as without peer when it comes to build quality and refinement. At the heart of the LS400 was its almost impossibly smooth 4.0-litre V8, but the LC500’s V8 has almost double the power with 351kW at 7100rpm, running through a 10-speed automatic transmission. Essentially, the LC500 was developed from the Lexus LF-LC Concept car which was one of the stars of the 2012 Detroit Auto Show and reveals considerable influence from the phenomenal 2011 LFA supercar – indeed, the LC500 is built in Toyota’s Motomachi facility, home to the LFA! The LC500 (where ‘LC’ means ‘Luxury Coupe’ and ‘500’ means ‘5-Litre’) was introduced as a production car at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2016.  ‘Forty years ago,’ said US motoring magazine Motor Trend, this smooth operator probably would have had opera windows and a vinyl roof, maybe an eight-track player. Today, it's an edgy knockout, a concept car that somehow escaped the auto-show stand and went directly on sale to the public.’ Not only is the LC500 unique, it is also very rare in Australia. The model went on sale here in June 2017 and is still available. Typically, about 30 (including convertibles) are sold throughout the country each year.