The first time for anything is always tricky because there’s no precedent to compare it to. For some, that might be a challenge, but for others, it’s an opportunity to set the bar high. Take what you will from that, but it’s important to remember that in the course of 10 months since the Lexus LF C broke cover at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show, the sports car has yet to be customized in an aftermarket setting. Well, that all changed at the 2016 SEMA Auto Show when Gordon Ting/Beyond Marketing presented the very first custom project for the LF C.

It seems appropriate that Gordon Ting/Beyond Marketing was the first to do it. After all, this is the same tuner that presented a tuning program for the GS F during last year’s SEMA show. It’s worth noting too that this kit for the LF C is far more comprehensive than the mostly cosmetic work done on the GS F a year ago. This program has it all; it’s got exterior upgrades, interior refinements, and engine modifications. The tuner even worked on the coupe’s suspension and added a new set of wheels and tires for good measure.

Gordon Ting/Beyond Marketing indicated that it wanted to give the LF C a race-inspired look and feel to it and to that extent, it’s hard to argue with the results. Sure, it got some help from a number of collaborators, but in the end, we’ll remember this program – the first custom program for the LF C – as the work of Gordon Ting/Beyond Marketing.

That in itself is not a surprise, as is the distinction that comes with being the first tuner to present a program for the Lexus LF C.

Continue reading to learn more about the Lexus LC 500 by Gordon Ting/Beyond Marketing.

2016 Lexus LC 500 by Gordon Ting/Beyond Marketing

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2016 Lexus LC 500 by Gordon Ting/Beyond Marketing
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

With the status that comes with building the “world’s first customized LC 500,” the team at Gordon Ting/Beyond Marketing went to great lengths to collaborate with fellow aftermarket companies and the exterior program for the sports coupe is an embodiment of that. Take for example the aerodynamic kit. The components were prepared by Signature Autobody and includes custom fender flares, diffusers on the front and rear ends, side skirts, and a custom rear wing. The result is a vastly more dynamic LC 500 that has a little racing feel to it, thanks to the presence of those diffusers and side skirts. Adding more flamboyance to the exterior is an exclusive Gloss Yellow body wrap courtesy of Avery Dennison, the same company that’s known for consumer goods packaging.


Finishing off the exterior look of the LC 500 is a new set of 22-inch satin charcoal-finished HRE wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Nero tires. Peaking from behind the tires but no less functional are the new Brembo brakes with calipers that are color-coordinated with the wheels.

Interior

Note: Standard Lexus LC 500 interior shown here.

There are no photos of the interior so we’re just going to have to take Lexus and Gordon Ting/Beyond Marketing’s words for it. Apparently, the modifications extend inside the cabin too and they’re fairly significant, to say the least. The first item on the list are the new seats, which are now made from carbon fiber, all thanks to Sparco. The other notable item is the race cage supplied by Evasive Motorsport. That means that the rear section of the cabin has been completely retrofitted to accommodate the safety cage. The GT3-spec work on the cabin concludes with a custom interior.

Drivetrain

Note: Standard Lexus LC 500 drivetrain pictured here.

This is where the Lexus LC 500’s program really makes a name for itself because Gordon Ting/Beyond Marketing put in a lot of work to get the power of the V-8 engine to 525 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque. The first thing it did, with the help of Club DSPORT and F1 engine builder Magnus Ohlaker, was increase the engine’s displacement from the stock 5.0 liters to 5.6 liters. The cylinder bore was also enlarged from 3.7 inches to 3.9 inches to accommodate the bigger engine displacement. Custom Moly-2000 Amphibian sleeves from LA Sleeve and Carrillo 4340 H-beam connecting rods finish off the upgrades to the now larger 5.6-liter V-8, resulting in the aforementioned power increase that’s 58 ponies and 49 pound-feet of torque more than the standard output of 467 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque. The 525-horsepower and 440-pound-feet of torque numbers are pretty sweet for the LC 500, but here’s the rub: Lexus says that the modified engine is actually good for over 900 horsepower so there’s really no telling what kind of output it can have if the people behind it squeezed every ounce of power it could out of that engine.

Conclusion

For a first time kit on the Lexus LC 500, this is about as good as it gets. It’s a complete overhaul of the most important things about a car that already looks and performs well. That’s what you want from a tuner, especially one that has made a career out of building programs for Lexus models. The only downside to this program is that we’re not going to see it built on a large scale. The best thing, at this point, is to hope that Gordon Ting/Beyond Marketing builds this kit on a per-request basis. We can still hope and dream, right?