2020 Lexus LC 500 Inspiration Series

Base MSRP: $93,000

Engine: 5.0 Liter V8 :: 471 bhp - 369 ft/lbs

0-60: 4.7 Seconds

Text: Yousef Alvi // Photography and Video: Richard Maneen

2020 Lexus LC500 Inscription Series.  Just look at it!!!  It’s yellow!  It’s a coupe!  It’s powered by a N/A V8!  It’s RWD!  What more can you ask for??

If you’re the internet…a lot more.  Because people on the internet suck.  The LC is a striking beauty in and out.  It’s powertrain is made out of butter and the sound it makes can make angels weep.  Unfortunately it’s styled so well and has such road presence that people naturally assume it’s a 911 competitor.  Sorry folks…it ain’t.  This is a GT car.  

A GT car is made to get in at one coast and drive to the other coast, just to drive to the border and then get back home.  It’s made to coddle you in every way that matters.  They are made to coddle your inner speed demon, your sore backside, your style and lastly your self esteem.  They are engineered to make you feel like a literal billion bucks while driving.  

This is what the LC500 does.  You feel like a billion bucks.  You sit a bit more upright, you smile a bit more and just overall you feel better about yourself. You let out a sigh of relief and just enjoy the damn drive and in this car you do enjoy it every bit.  

The steering is accurate, the exhaust melts in the background below 4k RPM and the ride quality is supple in Normal Mode.  When the opportunity present itself, dial up Sport + mode and Dr. Jekyll turns into Mr. Hyde, the LC can attack corners with gusto all while riding a sound that is nothing short of operatic.  As a dual wielding weapon it’s nothing short of spectacular.  

Unfortunately we live in the world of specs.  The specs don’t do it justice.  Yes it has a 5.0 liter V8 and it’s RWD.  But it makes ONLY 471 horsepower and the 0-60 times won’t light up your Facebook comments.  One HAS to brush all the aside.  

One just has to slide behind the wheel of one to realize what it is all about it.  It’s a sensory experience.  The smell of the leather, the feel of the interior, the heft of the switchgear and the beauty that is the exterior.  

So what do I think of the 2019 Lexus LC500?  It’s an rolling operatic experience.