What happened to you, Lexus?->ke47 Did you lose your meds? Get tired of all those Freemason jokes? Or were you always wearing leather bondage gear under that casual business suit? We're sure there's some sort of logical explanation here, perhaps having to do with changes in management or the public's reception of the LF-A->ke2181 supercar.->ke177 But one does not simply walk from the land of Smooth Jazz into Freak-on-a-Leash without people asking questions.

Not that we're complaining. Even if this is just a case of medication in need of adjustment, there's no doubt that this latest dip into stylistic psychosis has been a watershed time for Toyota's->ke88 usually straight-laced brand. It's not that Lexus doesn't know how to build fast cars -- the brand did, after all, debut with the V-8 LS400. It's just that this brand has historically proven to be the only one on Earth capable of starting with a Toyota Supra and making it boring }. Yeah, looking at you, entire SC->ke1841 line.

These years of late, though...if we didn't know better, we'd think some devil switched out Lexus' Prozac for Red Hots and crystal meth. Evidence this, a car as psychotically named as it was styled: The LF-LC GT Vision Gran Turismo.

Continue reading to learn more about the Lexus LF-LC GT “Vision Gran Turismo”.

lexus-lf-lc-gt-vision-gran-turismo

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: lexus-lf-lc-gt-vision-gran-turismo

2015 Lexus LF-LC GT “Vision Gran Turismo”

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2015 Lexus LF-LC GT “Vision Gran Turismo”

Debut

The "GT" in the Vision's name doesn't stand for "Gran Turismo," as in the Italian phrase for "Grand Tourer." But this is accurate, considering this concept was based on the stunning LF-LC that debuted at the Detroit Motor Show. No, this car gets its name from the very place it exists: The Gran Turismo 6 video game.

Does it seem a bit odd for a major manufacturer to debut an important concept virtually? It shouldn't in this case. Gran Turismo's developer Polyphony famously designed the digital dashboard and display for the LF-A supercar, which does for all the world look like it was lifted straight from the game. Where, then, does reality end and the game begin? What is the nature of reality? If art makes life and life imitates art, then is all of life merely an imitation of itself? You could lose your mind pondering this stuff.

And Lexus, apparently, is way ahead of us on that one.

Exterior

The exterior is all there is to be known, since the Vision concept is strictly virtual and there's no way of reviewing the lines of code inside, Matrix-style. ("Operator, what the heck is this?")

So let's all just take a moment to gather in the sheer, beautiful insanity of this design. Starting with its base, the LF-LC Concept

The LF-LC was a pretty strong styling statement itself, even minus all the GT video-game racy bits. Technically speaking, the two probably wouldn't share a single body panel if the Vision were physically produced. But most of the Vision's notable styling cues are exaggerations of the LF-LC concept's.

The first exaggeration you'll likely notice are the side skirts and wheel arches. They're not considerably more flared than the LF-LC's already considerable haunches, but they sit flat along the ground and low over the wheels in a way that only those of video game race cars can. Another interesting detail is the way those arches wrap around the bottom edges of the wheel; that does mirror the LF-LC's panels to some extent. But don't expect to ever see these kind of extensions on a street car -- mostly because they kind of presume the wheels never have to move more than a quarter of an inch up or down. But man man }, they do look good.

So, too, do the (kind of pointless) roof scoop and deeply ducted hood; though some would say those two details slightly ape the lines of Acura's NSX. The rear diffuser looks big enough to diffuse a hydrogen bomb, and low enough that it probably wouldn't work on a real-world racetrack. The underslung wing would, though; this style of wing has gained a lot of popularity of late, and it does provide enough laminar flow stability over the top that it's justifiable as more than mere style.

The rest of the car...not so much.

The front end itself is a masterpiece of brand recognition; look at it from any angle, and see how many Lexus "Flying Ls" you can find subtly incorporated into the front fascia's bodywork. I'm counting 10 from just the front three-quarter view, including both sides of the grille (middle and bottom), the sequential parking lights inboard of the headlights, and a near half-dozen "Ls" at various orientations in and around the headlights themselves.

Speaking of the lights, don't they make the Vision looks a bit...naughty? Look at the LF-LC concept: The eyes and rear lamps on this classically sexy beast have those long drops into the body, as though the chrome headlight buckets had melted to liquid mercury and etched deep into the panels like jewelry. The LF-LC is Ava Gardner in a Versace evening gown.

The Vision, however...her headlight surrounds and liquid metal drops are blacked out. That takes her from dinner-party socialite to goth-club princess. She's a collar-wearing party girl at 3 a.m., with a single dark tear of mascara streaming down from each of her black-lined eyes. From the rear, the Vision's black diffuser and panel vents are a short skirt and silk stockings, strategically ripped in all the right places. This GT is not the kind of girl you take home to meet the parents. And that makes her absolutely perfect.

Alternatively, if you're not into blatantly sexist metaphors: The Vision's black tears and gloriously scarred panels might remind you more of Heath Ledger's Joker.

All it takes is a little push, eh, Lexus?

Conclusion

We won't ask Lexus where it got its chops. And we won't at this point stop to ponder what pushed this notoriously staid company over the edge into madness. For better or worse, we're just glad it happened. Especially in light of the fact that the LF-LC probably will see production as the SC 500, if not the next Supra. That means we may very well see something like the Vision in real life, tearing around LeMans or the Nurburgring in the near future. Should that happen, it's unlikely any of the competition will see anything but those black-tear taillights.

As for Lexus: Let's all hope it doen't see much of whatever medication it lost, ever again.