Lexus has launched the new RC-F high performance coupe at the Detroit Motor Show, taking the fight directly to BMW’s new M4, packing technology and knowledge learned from the LFA supercar.
Visually we’ve not been huge fans of the new Lexus range, and though it certainly looks purposeful we’re not exactly blown away by the RC-F. it certainly lacks a lot when compared to the M4, but looks are purely subjective so we’ll leave our feelings out of this! Up front there is possibly the largest grille ever fitted to a production car, with the familiar Lexus ‘sharp hourglass’ shape to it, flanked by large intakes and the RC’s headlight and strange tick-shaped DRL LEDs. Behind the front wheels sits a large air vent much like on the IS-F, while there are powerfully swollen rear wheelarches and at the rear, the trademark quad stacked exhausts.
Central to the RC-F’s attack on BMW is the powerplant – a 5.0 litre V8 engine producing in excess of 450 bhp. This comfortably outguns the M4’s 425 bhp, but Lexus hasn’t yet given details of torque or weight figures. Given that the normal petrol engined RC350 weighs broadly the same as the BMW 435i we would expect the RC-F to weigh around the same as the M4, meaning it should have superior performance, though we would expect the torque figure to be lower.
The RC-F is expected to go on sale in mid-2014, with prices to be revealed.