LC Coupe

Make
Lexus
Segment
Coupe

The Lexus LC 500 coupe is already one of the most striking vehicles on the market today. So how could Lexus make it even better? By cutting the roof off, of course. At the 2019 Detroit Auto Show, Lexus showed up with a concept convertible version of the LC, which dialed up the car's impressive styling even further. Lexus did not confirm whether the concept would reach production, but the company did say that something big was coming to the LC later this year.

We assumed "something big" meant the rumored LC-F, but now we believe the vague clue may have other meanings. What we do know, however, is that Roadshow has learned Lexus plans to reveal a production version of the LC convertible at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in early July.

Sources at Lexus say final tuning of the LC convertible hasn't been completed yet, but that the vehicle will be ready to hit dealerships in the near future and possibly as soon as this year. But those inside sources still would not confirm the biggest question surrounding the LC convertible: whether it will use a fabric roof or a folding hardtop. The concept shown in Detroit did not have a roof, leaving us to speculate about what type of roof the production version will have.

We'd place our bets on the car having a soft top because a folding metal roof is highly complex and may be difficult to package on the LC. A soft top would also compliment the LC's looks, while a hardtop could ruin the car's body lines. With the roof down, the production car should look just like the concept.

We expect performance to remain consistent whether the convertible is had with the LC500's 5.0-liter V8 or the LC500h's 3.5-liter V6 hybrid drivetrain. Expect the LC convertible to cost more than the coupe, which has a starting price of $92,300, even though it will also be slightly slower due to the weight of the convertible top and chassis reinforcements. Thankfully the LC is more of a grand tourer than a track day special, so the weight gain shouldn't put off too many customers. The car will likely also keep its rear seats, which are far from usable even on the coupe. Expect the production car to arrive as a 2020 model, hopefully with the same new touchscreen that's found on the RX.