Social media is a great tool for sharing news and photos, and it is also a growing place to see spy photography and videos->ke278 of future vehicles. We have Instagram to thank for our first sighting of the 2017 Lexus SC, which was spotted while testing in California by Matt Farah of The Smoking Tire.

Though far less in depth than a typical set of spy shots,->ke166 the two images still provide a promising look ahead to Lexus’->ke47 upcoming coupe.->ke141 Viewed only from the rear angle, it’s easy to see that the styling cues are very close to that of the 2012 Lexus LF-LC concept car->ke169, including the vented, L-shaped taillights, the curvaceous rear decklid and fascia, and the almost identical shape of the side window opening. From the broader side view, it even looks like the concept's lower air scoop will carry over to the production car.

Judging by production-ready body, reports that the next-gen SC will go on sale for the 2017 model year seem to be on target. There is still no word as to when the production model will officially debut, but with so much on the line, it wouldn’t be surprising to see it show up as early as this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show->ke235 – as a nice kick in the teeth to the German coupes it will be positioned against.

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Why it matters

This full-bodied prototype shows that a flagship Lexus coupe will be coming sooner rather than later, but more important is the fact that it was spotted while being tested alongside a Porsche 911->ke282 and BMW 650i.->ke320 With benchmarks such as these, the upcoming 2017 Lexus SC should be just the grand touring sports coupe that Lexus has been lacking since the first-gen SC was killed off in 2000.

2017 Lexus SC

You can check our speculative review of the modele here.