Photo: Lexus
As some of the last naturally aspirated vee-eight coupes around, the Lexus RC F and some of its older siblings are joining the Australian V8 Supercars Championship this year. I know it doesn’t make sense, because only sedans with such engines are allowed, but the Lexii aren’t here to race.
The 467 hp Lexus RC F coupe will be present on track at each of the 15 V8 Supercars Championship events this year. It won’t race, but it will be used as the official Safety Car, while the a GS 350 F Sport and IS 350 F Sport will back it up as official course and medical cars accordingly.
"We are proud and excited that Lexus has chosen our sport to showcase their high performance credentials," V8 Supercars chief executive James Warburton said. "The stunning RC F safety car will be a feature of its own, and together with the IS 350 F Sport and GS 350 F Sport, we are absolutely delighted these ultra-high performance vehicles will be an integral part of V8 Supercars in 2015."
The penultimate addition to the F performance branch is the RC F, powered by a naturally aspirated 5-liter V8 Atkinson cycle engine cranking 467 hp and 530 Nm (391 lb-ft) of torque. The powerplant is mated to the same gearbox but it also comes with a torque vectoring differential at the back to help sending power on the right wheel during cornering.
The latest addition in the F range, though, is the GS F performance sedan, which makes use of the same powertrain found on the RC F. Who knows, maybe this one will actually come to race in the V8 championship soon.
"We are proud and excited that Lexus has chosen our sport to showcase their high performance credentials," V8 Supercars chief executive James Warburton said. "The stunning RC F safety car will be a feature of its own, and together with the IS 350 F Sport and GS 350 F Sport, we are absolutely delighted these ultra-high performance vehicles will be an integral part of V8 Supercars in 2015."
Luxury grunts
All three cars will hit the track at the Clipsal 500 race in Adelaide from February 26th to March 1st. Both the GS and IS F Sport models come fitted with a 3.5-liter V6 engine developing 317 hp and 378 Nm (279 lb-ft) of torque, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission that can also be operated via steering wheel mounted paddle shifters.The penultimate addition to the F performance branch is the RC F, powered by a naturally aspirated 5-liter V8 Atkinson cycle engine cranking 467 hp and 530 Nm (391 lb-ft) of torque. The powerplant is mated to the same gearbox but it also comes with a torque vectoring differential at the back to help sending power on the right wheel during cornering.
The latest addition in the F range, though, is the GS F performance sedan, which makes use of the same powertrain found on the RC F. Who knows, maybe this one will actually come to race in the V8 championship soon.
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