2020 Lexus RC-F Track Edition

2020 Lexus RC-f track edition

12/10/2019

coupe - aftermarket

It wasn’t that long ago that we were all raving about the all new Lexus IS or Toyota Altezza for our Japanese friends. This was the vehicle that would change our perception about Lexus and their future. Sure, we did have the powerful and yet cool looking Lexus GS already, but the IS gave us something else from Lexus. It gave us a sporty entry point into

the brand. And now it seems that Lexus has don’t it once again with their entry into the luxury coupe market.

The Lexus RC started out life as a dream for the IS / ES market and now it seems to be moving ahead. And as it moves ahead, it seems like it would be a no-brainer for Lexus to infuse some F-Sport into this ride. With AMG and M-Sport taking the lead in the luxury aftermarket world it seems that the new RC would have to enter this ring to compete with the likes of the C63 Coupe and M4. Sure, it already had a grasp on their sales when the RC was introduced, but to truly compete with Mercedes and BMW you need a true aftermarket model. So, say hello to the all-new Lexus RC F-Sport and all it brings to the aftermarket table.

Now you might think that it was funny to start off talking about the IS, but in all reality, the RC is the much anticipated and required coupe variant that both the IS and ES models required. With the LS having the LC coupe to compete with the SL, it just seemed plausible that the IS/ES should have one as well. And here it is in all its glory and this time it is going after the aftermarket world.

Gazing at that oversized and spindle grille is hard on the eyes as the amount of chrome does tend to strain them. But moving to the bottom of the front you will find the most useful attribute of this front end. There you will find yourself staring at a perfectly proportioned carbon fiber front splitter complete side wing. Sure, it seems overkill, but really this car with its amount of power and drag will require a splitter of this caliber. Add this to the new lower air intakes and you have the makings of a perfectly laid out front end. They could have however added on some adjustable arms to allow proper gear-heads to make self-adjustments to the down-force. But I guess that is something we will just have to do on our own.

Moving up to the hood we find out that Lexus again has let this engine breath a bit better as they have added in a hood exhaust duct. This will work wonders for cooling the engine, but the slapstick approach to this addition has left us wondering if the designers at Lexus added this on afterwards. A bit better integration could have been given to this feature along with a size enlargement. But if they really wanted to go over the top, they could have just made this a double exhaust port and split the hood lines. That again will be something the aftermarket world will certainly take care of for them.

Running along the side sills rests a great carry over from the front. No, they are not running boards, but are side sill splitters which could use some rear deflectors. Of course, that would add to their size and take away from the sculpted wheel well arches. And we all know how badly we need those arches as they house magnificently crafted wheels and are the grounds for both a front and rear brake duct port. Both of which are well fitted to the design of this vehicle.

We did however feel a lack of pride when it came to the layout of the side mirrors, as they utilized the colour coding from both the lower and upper half. Sure, it is a neat concept, but the follow through was poorly laid out. Of course, this could have been helped if Lexus had chosen to upgrade the side mirrors from the atrocious ones the standard RC has. The window accents did come off a bit cheap as well and it could be a good idea to upgrade them to a gloss or carbon fiber finish. This may help blend them better with their surroundings, rather than standing out from the crowd.

Sliding around to the rear of the vehicle is where you will find yourself wondering why Lexus used the cheapest wing layout they could find. Seriously guys! This wing looks like it was pulled off of a late ‘90s model Mustang. This was something that we didn’t expect from Lexus and would have hoped for better. Moving lower we find an oversized rear diffuser port with something missing. Oh, wait the diffuser is missing. No wait it’s there, but it’s just a bit smaller than we had expected. This is just another product which will have to be updated by the aftermarket world.

Next to that the exhaust looks like it was another added after the fact part, as it has way too much space surrounding it. A bit better integration could have been done as the layout of the exhaust is great, just the follow through is horrendous. And if you really want to talk about poor follow through, we can’t help but imagine what went through the heads at Lexus when they improperly integrated the rear brake duct. This port is well needed, but the follow through on the upper portion could have been done better. Flowing onto the rear bumper line could have made this rear end flow a bit better. But hey it still looks good in the end.

All around the RC Track Edition is a great vehicle which really capitalizes on the aftermarket world in a good way. We just hope that they can listen and maybe make some changes to the use of flat colours, part integration and part choices. Once that has been done, then maybe this will be a vehicle truly worthy of our A+ Award.

From its humble beginnings as a wanted car, the RC has come a long way in a short amount of time. And as we gaze over the entire car, we find ourselves astonished that no one else from Japan is doing the same. As we have seen multiple concepts from Infiniti, but nothing really has materialized. So maybe this model will show the rest of the Japanese luxury marks how it’s done and finally push them to create their own competitors. And if the F-Sport Track edition is what we can expect to see on future Lexus models, we are sure in for some good times.

Everett J.
#autolooks, @Autolooks.net, AutoLooks.net