Lexus Unveils The New RC F and RC F Track Edition At Detroit Auto Show

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Soon as Lexus revealed the updated RC for 2019, we were speculating reasons for the company to be silent on its RC F sledgehammer. However, the company did not fail to drop our jaws with its undercover developments in its shed on the high-performance coupe.

At the Detroit auto show on Monday, Lexus dropped the wraps on the new RC F Track Edition that will sit atop the newly updated RC F range that was showcased alongside slated to be introduced in 2020.

With the new RC F, Lexus might have shunned the doubters who believed that the RC F wasn’t as sharp as its segment rivals such as the Audi RS 5, BMW M4 and the Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe.

The new Lexus RC-F coupes for 2020 sport revised styling improved aerodynamics, stiffer suspension bushings, and reduced weight over its predecessor. It will be powered by the same 5.0-litre V8 engine that enjoys a power bump of 5bhp and 7.8Nm of torque, pushing the figures to 472ho and 514Nm of torque. Apart from that, the car is also graced with a higher final drive ratio for the standard 8-system automatic transmission, which when coupled with the new launch control lunges the car from 0-100kph in a mere 4.2 seconds.

Lexus RC-F
Photo: James Lipman

Meanwhile, on the 2020 Lexus RC F Track Edition, this figure goes down by 0.2 seconds at 4.0 seconds. While the engine and output figures of the Track Edition are identical to that of the RC F, Lexus has fed the new iteration with a carbon-fibre rich diet and lightweight 19-inch alloy wheels that have significantly helped reduce its unsprung mass.

Lexus claims that it has shaved close to 79kgs from the previous RC F which had already enjoyed a weight reduction treatment with the help of a hollow rear half shafts, aluminium suspension brackets, a pared-down intake manifold and a smaller air conditioning compressor.

Additionally, the Track Edition also gets carbon-ceramic brake rotors, a titanium muffler, an aggressive front splitter, and a fixed rear wing. The 2020 Lexus RC F Track Edition was shaped using lessons learned from racing versions of the RC F that compete the IMSA series and Japan’s Super GT series.