Lexus LC Gets New Rear Wing Inspired By Flight

Feb. 09, 2022 2:59 PM ET by Jarryd Neves Special Editions / 11 Comments

The luxury brand worked with champion race pilot Yoshihide Muroya to create an aviation-inspired rear wing.

While Lexus is best known for producing sensible luxury cars, the brand has previously dipped its toes into other forms of transport, including yachting and even hoverboards. While Lexus is yet to release a luxurious private jet, the Japanese brand has taken to the skies with a very unique partnership. Since 2016, Lexus has worked with champion race pilot Yoshihide Muroya and has been able to gain insight into aeronautic technology.

This has paid off, with the latest result being a new aviation-inspired rear wing for the current LC Coupe. The range-topping two-door will now be available with a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic rear wing, which was developed in conjunction with Muroya.

While it may seem like a rather subtle addition, the Lexus team spent plenty of time on research and development. During test flights with Yoshihide Muroya, engineers studied the plane's drag-reducing winglets and the associated vortices, which are normally problematic. When testing in the wind tunnel, they found that, when applied to the vehicle, the dynamics could be improved by turning the wings upside down and adding winglets.

Following extensive wind tunnel and computer testing, Lexus' team of designers, engineers, and Takumi artisans crafted an aluminum prototype of the rear wing. Later, it was produced in a lightweight carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, known as CFRP. The end result improves high-speed stability without increasing drag, and test drivers say that you can really feel the difference on a straight.

Measuring almost six feet wide, it's astonishing to think that this will be mass-produced. Sporting a hollow core, the fixture - laminated in carbon fiber and epoxy resin - is baked in an autoclave. The finished product allows the gorgeous weave to show through the lacquer finish. Lexus clearly has an affinity for the material, previously producing a limited-edition Fender Guitar inspired by the LC.

The rear wing will be made available solely through the new Lexus Bespoke Build program in a special edition, naturally, called the Aviation. The luxury brand says the vehicle will be produced by an elite team of takumi (artisan) master craftspeople at the same factory that built the legendary LFA supercar.

Lexus International President, Koji Sato, is notably proud of the achievement: "Looking to the skies was exhilarating. [It's] a new world of excitement and potential. It gave us wings, so to speak."

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Jarryd Neves

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