I forgot how much fun this car is, and it feels fantastic to be back behind the wheel again. The car is such a joy. I first drove the LC 500 coupe way back in 2017 and was impressed with it’s execution. It is a solid GT contender that looks utterly gorgeous, drives beautifully, and makes all the right sounds doing it. It is as close as you can get to the coveted but impossibly rare LFA. After years of plain-looking Lexus sedans, it is a breath of fresh air on the automotive scene.
Now, after nearly ten years, Lexus is about to lower the curtain on the LC 500 and they’re sending if off with what they call their “Inspiration Series.” The Inspiration Series is a limited run of 200 coupes and 350 convertibles in special edition colors and interiors. The coupes come in a stunning dark grey color called “Smoke Matte Grey” paired with a white and black leather interior and the convertible comes in “Wind” (sort of a silvery putty grey) with a white and saddle brown interior. There are no hybrid Inspiration Series models, probably because the hybrid wasn’t very inspiring. (I drove one. I was uninspired.)
The design, though, is still inspiring. Just look at that body – sleek, aggressive wedge design; muscular fenders; intakes and vents in all the right places; and when the top goes down…magic. It looks like a jet fighter on the tarmac, waiting for permission to take off. The body hasn’t changed since it’s introduction and, frankly, didn’t need to. Lexus got it exactly right and the comments I received from passersby indicated a much.
Looking at the LC 500, with all it’s aggressive lines and sleep shape, you’d expect a quiet engine that whistles and wooshes, using turbos to build power through additional air being forced into the cylinders. Instead, push the start button and a 5.0L 32-valve V8 barks to life like a race car and slowly idles down to a rumbling growl. The engine sounds incredible. “Inspirational” indeed! I spent most of the week driving around in lower gears, letting the engine growl and bark, just reveling in it’s fantastic sound. Having the top down only adds more volume, so I left it down as much as possible.
The top is simple. It goes down with the push of a switch, even at low speeds, which is nice when traffic is heavy and a sudden rainstorm hits. There’s no need to come to a complete stop or try to pull over to put it up or down. Just be under 25 mph and the top will raise or lower without protest. The top is well insulated so when it’s closed the interior is wonderfully quiet. When it’s down, the fresh air swirls around you, delivering the smell of freshly cut grass and the sweeter sound of the 32-valve V8.
I mentioned that I spent most of the week driving around in lower gears. It’s easy to pick individual gears using the paddle shifters behind the leather-wrapped steering wheel. There are 10 gears in all, enough to squeeze some efficiency out of the V8, and the transmission does a great job of picking the appropriate gear. However, if you’re in the mood for some fun, the paddle shifters put the decision in your hands – quite literally. They click off shifts pretty quickly but you can tell the system was originally introduced nearly ten years ago. It’s not nearly as quick to shift as newer DCT transmissions, even in the most performance-oriented drive mode, but it’s still responsive.
There are four drive modes: Normal, Comfort, Sport, and Sport+. As you’d guess, Comfort softens the ride a bit and slows the responses of the controls to a leisurely pace. Sport speeds things up, and Sport+ firms up the suspension and the responses of the engine, transmission, and steering. Each setting gets its own unique dash display, reflecting the theme of your choice.
Peering through the large, black, multi-spoke wheels, you’ll notice enormous brake discs and very large calipers. They look like they could stop a semi-truck at speed and they stop the LC 500 extremely quickly. The brakes are very smooth and linear. They inspire great confidence.
If the LC 500 has a weak spot, it’s the suspension. On smooth roads, it performs very well. On cratered and freeze-shattered Michigan roads, you feel lots of clunks and thunks in the suspension. Part of that is likely due to the cars weight, but one would expect Lexus to engineer that imperfection out. Competitors have a smoother, more solid ride. Lesser Lexus have a smoother, more solid ride. The LC 500 is a beautiful highway cruiser, and while it’s a responsive driver it’s not a nimble sports car. It’s a gorgeous luxury car with sporting instincts.
The interior is where the real luxury is. The seats are gorgeous and comfortable. They’re electrically adjustable in just about every direction. They’re lightly bolstered but enough to hold you in place if you’re driving aggressively. They’re heated and ventilated. The back seats…well, forget about letting people sit in them. They’re for pets and packages. There’s not enough leg room for a human being to utilize. Somewhere along the way, Lexus ditched the odd track-ball controller for the infotainment screen and simply installed a touch-screen. Big improvement. If you think the exterior is curvy, the interior is just as curvy. There are gorgeous curves designed into the door cards, the dashboard, and the center console. It might be the LC 500’s interior that sells the car the hardest. It’s beautiful and comfortable and a great place to be, whether you’re the driver or passenger. The Inspiration Series custom interior is predominantly white leather and white carpet with saddle brown accents and it’s beautiful, if impractical. Everyone that saw it seemed to like it but everyone commented that it would be impossible to keep bright and clean. But it makes a impression.
The LC 500 is a literal concept car come to production. That it’s been on the market nearly ten years still surprises me because it looks as fresh and inspired as the day it came out. It’s also surprisingly rare. In the ten years its been on the market, I’ve only ever seen one other one on the road. If you’re interested in the LC 500, you have a chance to snag the rarest of the rare: one of the beautiful Inspirational Series LC 500 cars.
Performance: 7
Handling: 7
Design: 10
Interior: 10
Infotainment: 7
Sound: 10
Fun: 9
Overall: 8.5
