600-HP Lexus LC F Will Take On The Nissan GT-R In 2019

As much as we love the Lexus LC 500, we can't help but wish for an LFA successor. Lexus needs a new halo supercar right now, and at one point it looked like the automaker was preparing to unleash a performance variant of the LC 500 dubbed the LC F to fill the void. Lexus has since denied this is happening, but a new report by Japanese publication Best Car Web claims that the LC F is back on track for a 2019 launch as a spiritual successor to the V10-powered LFA and a direct rival to the Nissan GT-R.

While the naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter V8 powering the LC 500 is a treat for the ears, Best Car Web claims that the LC F will be getting the turbocharger treatment, packing a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 that churns out around 600 horses which would make it more powerful than the 552-hp LFA. That would make it a worthy rival to the established Nissan GT-R, but the report goes on to suggest that the LC F will be as luxurious and refined as the BMW M6 and Mercedes AMG-GT. Its engineers are reportedly targeting lap times at Fuji that would destroy the Nissan GT-R Nismo, currently the most powerful production car in Japan, and 500 lb-ft of torque which would put it in AMG territory.

It won't be cheap, with a rumored price of 20 million yen which converts to $180,000, but that's still half the price of an LFA. Cast your mind back to 2012, and you may remember the TMG Lexus LS Sports 650 concept packed a colossal 5.0-liter, 650-horsepower twin-turbo V8 that could propel the heavy sedan from 0-62 mph in 4.2 seconds, so it's possible this engine could be updated for the LC F. Let's just hope the LC F sheds some weight as the current LC 500 coupe is rather bloated, weighing in at 1,941 kg. Rumors recently surfaced that the next-gen Lexus GS F could also utilize a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, but that seems unlikely given how poorly the current model is selling.