# My car of the day, Lexus RCF.



## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

I did not have time to do my classic car of the week yesterday for obvious reason's so today I thought I pick this stunning effort from Lexus. The RCF was unveiled at the Detroit motor show and is to challenge the BMW M4. Two guises will be available for the UK - dubbed RCF and RCF carbon. Both versions are powered by the same 5.0 litre V8 engine and it's the most powerful production car Lexus has ever built. Boasting 450 BHP and with 384lb of torque this car is a serous contender for BMW. Prices are to start at £59,995 rising to £67,995 for the RCF carbon. Like it?


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## Steve (Mar 18, 2014)

Yup. like it.


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## Nico1970 (May 15, 2014)

Side elevation looks really well as does the rear and the interior.

I'm not fussed on the Lexus corporate mouth though and I'd certainly want a 5.0L V8 to pump out a lot more than 'just' 450bhp and 384lb ft.

Still and all, a bit of healthy competition to the Audi / BMW boys is to be welcomed.

At this stage, it wouldn't tempt me away from the usual suspects but good luck to Lexus - it'll be interesting to see how it goes, grips and stops.


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Nico1970 said:


> Side elevation looks really well as does the rear and the interior.
> 
> I'm not fussed on the Lexus corporate mouth though and I'd certainly want a 5.0L V8 to pump out a lot more than 'just' 450bhp and 384lb ft.
> 
> ...


I can't wait to see a you tube footage of lap times and head to head's. That corporate mouth would take some serious cleaning.


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

It actually dies have more than 459hp and it's a lovely, lovely car to drive, will be exclusive as well, 500 in Europe in 2015

Makes the M3/ 4 look and sound very tame, much better attention to detail as well, quality is sky high


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

Soul boy 68 said:


> I can't wait to see a you tube footage of lap times and head to head's. That corporate mouth would take some serious cleaning.


The 5.0l V8 officially has 468bhp and over 520nm of torque. Seems very good value compared to the M4. Its got a huge spec list.










The 5.0l engine is tuned for reliability so is slightly conservative when it comes to power. Im sure it can be tuned to 510hp if needed but itll have an impact on reliability.

Im sure it revs to 8000rpm too . As for the performance, 4.5s is conservative and is a preliminary figure. I expect it to be about 4.2s really. This car has more power than the IS-F which managed 4.6s.

And I also think it looks much better in red :










or perhaps white:









And of course a few videos:


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## 182_Blue (Oct 25, 2005)

Love it, i would have that over the BMW equivalent any time


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Rayaan said:


> The 5.0l V8 officially has 468bhp and over 520nm of torque. Seems very good value compared to the M4. Its got a huge spec list.
> 
> The 5.0l engine is tuned for reliability so is slightly conservative when it comes to power. Im sure it can be tuned to 510hp if needed but itll have an impact on reliability.
> 
> ...


First time seeing this, looks the bees knees. Thanks for posting :car:


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## V6dan (Feb 7, 2014)

I think it looks great. The red one in the pic was close to scraping its front bumper!


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## Nico1970 (May 15, 2014)

Great to see a big name manufacturer investing in a new V8 engine too...:thumb:


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

I always had a soft spot for the old IS-F saloon. 

That coupe is very good looking and just hope it drives as good. 

It is better looking than the M4 but people will still buy the BMW ahead of the Lexus no matter how good the Lexus is. It will be a tough task to be anywhere near the new M4 though.


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

V6dan said:


> I think it looks great. The red one in the pic was close to scraping its front bumper!


Nice to see the Japanese give the Germans a good challenge, the German executive cars have had it all their way for a good while now.


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Kerr said:


> I always had a soft spot for the old IS-F saloon.
> 
> That coupe is very good looking and just hope it drives as good.
> 
> It is better looking than the M4 but people will still buy the BMW ahead of the Lexus no matter how good the Lexus is. It will be a tough task to be anywhere near the new M4 though.


I think it's nice to see Lexus in the mix, long over due too.


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## SBM (Jul 4, 2013)

Yes I like this too. I would certainly have it over a BMW - just not that keen on BM's, but does anyone know if like on the Lexus ISF, the 4 exhausts are 50% just for show as they only actually use 2?

http://performancedrive.com.au/2012-lexus-is-f-review-video/2012-lexus-is-f-exhaust/

Cheers Ben


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

SBM said:


> Yes I like this too. I would certainly have it over a BMW - just not that keen on BM's, but does anyone know if like on the Lexus ISF, the 4 exhausts are 50% just for show as they only actually use 2?
> 
> http://performancedrive.com.au/2012-lexus-is-f-review-video/2012-lexus-is-f-exhaust/
> 
> Cheers Ben


All functional this time


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

I don't like, I really don't like it...

I FRIGGIN' LOVE IT!

Wish I had paid more attention at school so I could afford one :lol:

Front end would be completely ruined by the reg plate


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## MDC250 (Jan 4, 2014)

That's a bang tidy looking motor, interior looks pretty nice place to be as well.

White and blue looks smart IMO, red not so but I really don't like the wheels on the red car, look awful.


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

MDC250 said:


> That's a bang tidy looking motor, interior looks pretty nice place to be as well.
> 
> White and blue looks smart IMO, red not so but I really don't like the wheels on the red car, look awful.


Few different styles of wheel will be available


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

MDC250 said:


> That's a bang tidy looking motor, interior looks pretty nice place to be as well.
> 
> White and blue looks smart IMO, red not so but I really don't like the wheels on the red car, look awful.


There are 3 wheel choices available so don't worry. As far as Im aware, there is no premium to change to these wheels either. They are no cost options.

As for the wheels on the red car, Ive seen those wheels in person in Madrid. They look pretty good in person, they have a concaved effect which is very difficult to catch on camera.









Having said that, I'd probably still go for the wheels on the white one


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## MDC250 (Jan 4, 2014)

If the style of wheel was my only problem!

Small issue of the price tag


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

There are five versions of 19" rims available but down to each market what styles they take, a couple I really like but a couple I think are not so good

At least its good to have a choice


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

Want :doublesho


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## Focusaddict (May 31, 2010)

Love it, will be more exclusive than a beemer too. That blue is SHPANK
ING!!:thumb::doublesho


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## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

It's absoolutely gorgeous, especially in blue.


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

The orange is even more spectacular than the blue, Lexus are using some pretty trick paint technology currently that gives certain colours incredible depth


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## Spinonit (Nov 10, 2013)

Stunning motor. Someone lives near me has a new IS300 in black with a similar front design. I can't stop staring at it when I walk the dog - I'd love to polish it - Lexus builds some beautiful curves into the front ends of their cars and it's almost like that car wants you to notice it, but not an 'in your face' kind of way - much more subtle, but much more effective imo.


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

Spinonit said:


> Stunning motor. Someone lives near me has a new IS300 in black with a similar front design. I can't stop staring at it when I walk the dog - I'd love to polish it - Lexus builds some beautiful curves into the front ends of their cars and it's almost like that car wants you to notice it, but not an 'in your face' kind of way - much more subtle, but much more effective imo.


Doing a lot of work with Lexus at the moment, they are a fascinating company. European sales aspirations are small, want to achieve 100k sales by 2020, doubling the current figure but at the same time they want to ensure that the customer purchase / ownership experience is unmatched within the premium sector.

After years of playing it safe with design they decided a couple of years ago to become more "polarising", rather than people not even noticing the product they want people to have an opinion, they believe that is better than playing it safe

I see a lot of the pipeline stuff and they are not chasing Audi, Mercedes or BMW, they plough theirs own furrows and Lexus is now getting the confidence to do its own thing rather than just "following" the German 3 and that's a brave move

The tide is starting to turn against diesel, for years people laughed at Lexus and hybrid, perhaps they were simply ahead of the curve and as the future unfolds, the technology leadership they have will absolutely be maintained

As for the RC F, its not an M4 wannabe, its an RC F, they accept that most people in the market for such a car will simply follow the herd and go the German 3 route - doesn't make the RC F a bad car and those who don't consider it may just be missing a trick


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## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

everyone seems to like it, but gotta be honest don't like it...not at all


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Lexus came on to the scene a few years ago and everyone talked about their quality. 

They just didn't seem to build on that and become popular. It is uncommon to see many of the road. 

They did build the SC430 which was an ugly thing and people did seem to notice that one. Strange people ignore the good ones but find time to slate the bad ones. 

Read a few people who share the opinion the Lexus LFA is the best car in the world. Ever seen one? Neither have I. 

There is only a handful of IS-Fs for sale. This has kept their prices up higher than expected. There isn't much price difference between a later IS-F with the LSD over a M3 of that time. 

It'll be interesting to see how that Coupe goes. 

Lexus could be doing with taking a leaf out of Jaguar's book. Jaguar are making a good name and creating a new image for themselves.


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

Kerr said:


> Read a few people who share the opinion the Lexus LFA is the best car in the world. Ever seen one? Neither have I.
> 
> Lexus could be doing with taking a leaf out of Jaguar's book. Jaguar are making a good name and creating a new image for themselves.


Only made 500 and only 5 in the UK so will always be a rare sight. Certainly the best balanced, most useable supercar I have ever driven, how a 1480kg 4.8 litre V10 supercar can feel as alive and intense as a Caterham is down to insane levels of attention to detail and engineering knowledge

RC F is just the start of a new Lexus - the pipeline stuff is very, very interesting

RC F residuals should be healthy, only 150 per year for the UK will definitely help


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