The Only Remaining N/A V-8 Sports Coupe Outside America Updated

In an unusual turn of events, Toyota and Lexus revealed three exceptional sports cars at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show. While “all-eyes-on-me” Toyota Supra GR is the star of the show, two curious sporty propositions have also landed - the 2020 Lexus RC F and the RC F Track Edition. With hordes of journalists armed with all Nikon, Canon, Sony, and Fuji gear stampedes over anything Supra (and Ford Explorer for that matter) a bit lonely Lexus RC F seems to struggle for attention. Yet, it should not. It is basically the only modern coupe that still sports a V-8. One could suggest that you can still buy the Maserati Granturismo with a N/A V-8, but I can’t imagine these two fighting each other. So, yes, the 2020 Lexus RC F is the only remaining performance Coupe outside the U.S. with a N/A V-8.

Lexus decorated the new model with new headlights and taillights, new bumpers, and a new grille. The grill remained unusually large, mind you.

What Should Have Lexus Improved On The 2020 Lexus RC F Over The Previous Iterations?

The civil Lexus RC coupe received a nip and tuck and was unveiled at the last Paris Motor Show. The RC F is a bit different beast, geared for... gearheads. The facelift should have amended some gaffs that owners have reported since its introduction at the 2014 North American International Auto Show. Some suggested that the RC F tranny did not shift up or down accordingly in some of the sport modes. Others had some problems with the voice recognition system, while all pointed out problems with creased leather on the seats soon after purchase. This is the sort of a thing that a facelift should repair. Now, the PR definitely did not say anything of the sort, but Lexus was more than happy to showcase LED front headlights and sleek exterior touches that modernized the look of the sexy coupe.

Novelties For The 2020 Lexus RC F

The RC F never was the fastest or the quickest. Yet, when everyone was in transition from the N/A and analog to the turbocharged and automated, the Japanese managed to capture some of the LFA supercar spirit and elevate it to the RC F mass production status. It definitely is spiritually linked with the former and even the facelifted 2020 Lexus RC F shows it. The LEDs powerfully accentuate the new shape of the headlights. Sure, they look a bit like the LED headlights on the Seat Leon, but I won’t hold a grudge because of that alone. In the night, you will see a clear L shaped figure projected with powerful LEDs at the back.

This is only expected as the whole car market slowly transitions from the super sharp angles of the 2010s into something new. But Lexus changed so much more. The 2020 RC F now has vents at the edges of the rear bumper, differently shaped vents after the front wheels on the fenders, a different spoiler at the back and full-length splitter at the front.

Improved Drivetrain and Performance

I do not know by how much the new 2020 Lexus RC F coupe is faster compared to before, but I can say that Lexus did a lot to improve the drivetrain and the whole athletic nature of the car.

First of all, the rowdy Lex was on a sort of a fine weight reduction. Lexus reports about replacing the solid half shafts at the rear with new hollow units. The air con compressor is smaller, while the Japanese engineered aluminum toe control brackets and upper suspension support brackets too. This additionally lowered the weight of the RC F.

The upgrades found their way under the bonnet as well. Now at 472 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque, the Lexus RC F seems to be slightly sharper in turns of power delivery. I don’t say this because of the puny 5 horsepower upgrade, but because of the fact that Lexus slightly re-engineered and reprogrammed the transmission (higher final drive ratio among other stuff), installed the Launch Control as standard and shod the wheels in special Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires.

Lexus RC F Track Edition

The track-focused RC F Track Edition is even more hardcore in terms of weight reduction. Carbon fiber was a material of choice for the roof, hood, bumper supports, partition behind the rear seats, and front splitter. The overall weight reduction compared with the previous RC F is at rather nice 176 pounds.

All said and done (and Launch Control selected), the Lexus RC F Track Edition finally manages to slash to 60 in less than 4 seconds - it will do the deed in 3.96 seconds. Kudos to Lexus.

I’ve just found out that this is quicker than the Supra. It will do so in 4.1 seconds. Heck, it seems that Lexus created the limited production RC F Track Edition only to keep exclusivity and keep peace at home. I don’t mind it.