At the time, we figured the concept it revealed in February looked ready to roll, and Lexus appears to have thought the same thing, hitting the LA Auto Show with the production version of its LC 500 Convertible that is very familiar. On sale from mid-2020, it's one slick-looking machine, rocking a 5-liter V8 for 471 hp.
We don't see many surprises on the spec sheet; the engine's the same as in the LC coupe, albeit tweaked for a couple more ponies up top. Peak torque is a healthy 540 Nm (398 lb-ft) and the transmission is a direct shift 10-speed. The four-layer soft top roof will take 15 seconds to open, at speeds up to 31 mph (50 km/h), and Lexus has confirmed that the LC Convertible will be Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa compatible.
Other than the roof, some slight design changes distinguish it from the coupe: a slightly kicked up tail, for example, with the brake light in the trunk lid rather than lower down. But the differences are subtle.
In order to encourage you to keep the roof down, the heating and air-con system is just as happy creating a bubble of warmth with the roof open as it is when it's closed thanks to the inclusion of neck heaters, seat heaters and a steering wheel heater. Noise has also been addressed, with active noise cancelling in effect – but engine noise is sent through into the cabin through a "sound pipe" to keep the drive involving.
Fancy driver assist gear is standard, including adaptive cruise, lane keep assist, pedestrian-detecting pre-collision systems and cross-traffic alerts for when you're backing out of parking spots. If the space behind the driver and passengers' heads looks a touch empty, fear not; in the event of a rollover, the car pops up a set of roll bars to protect you from getting a squashed head.
If we liked the looks of the topless LC concept, these new photos make the production model look like a bit of a rock star, particularly in this limited edition blue/white Inspiration Series trim, of which only 100 will be sold.
If you want to see what it looks like with the roof up, and hear lots and lots of engine sounds, check out the video below. Pricing and availability TBA.
Source: Lexus
