"The World's Most Beautiful Convertible Car"
When Lexus launched the LC Coupe, it stunned the automotive world as one of the most attractive cars on sale.
In 2020, the coupe will be joined by a convertible model, and Lexus designers will face the unenviable task of creating a new model with all the visual impact of the original. His challenge was "to create the most beautiful convertible car in the world", and while it is impossible to pick a true number one, there is no denying that the LC is a contender. And now the Japanese firm has outlined its process to create this new model.
Lexus said one of its key design challenges was maintaining the coupe's "essential styling motifs", so the soft top was positioned as far back as possible to maintain the fastback look when the roof is up. He also focused on keeping the soft top frame invisible to maintain the smooth lines of a hard top.
Chief designer Tadao Mori said: “Although there are many convertible models, few of them are sleek and stylish when the roof is open or closed. Particularly when the roof is raised, the ridge lines on the uneven surface tend to give an unrefined impression. So for the design of the LC Convertible, we went to great lengths to achieve the same beautiful roofline as the coupe. "
The tonneau cover is the section at the rear of the car that covers the roof when it is off. Lexus is correct in saying that many convertibles struggle here because it is often a large, featureless section of the car. To combat this, the Japanese manufacturer placed the deck as low as possible, adding shape accents and a dovetail spoiler design at the rear. The rear of the convertible has a large flat section that is not present in the coupe, which has a rear window that ends closer to the rear than is possible in the convertible. That said, the molded edges help break up what would otherwise be a fairly large slab of bodywork.
Making a compact folding roof is difficult, and if you don't handle it, the body at the rear can appear bulkier to accommodate it. To avoid having to design thick lines on the shoulders, Lexus added an additional crease in the soft top to fit between the rear suspension towers.
This is the convertible sister car to the LC 500 coupe, which we have already driven in hybrid versions of the regular V8 and LC 500h. The drop roof only comes as a V8 - the folding roof consumes all the space that hybrid batteries take up (it doesn't leave enough room for luggage either). Still, as if we were to complain that a V8 is the default. A 477-horsepower 5.0-liter V8 engine, which gets this two-ton four-seater convertible to 100 km / h in 5.0 seconds, and still returns a class average of 24.1 mpg. Yes, VED costs £ 2,175 the first year, but that's included in the price, which starts from just under £ 91k. Our test car with the Sport Plus Pack costs £ 96,625
The addition of a soft top means that buyers can choose from one of three colors: sand, black and navy, with the latter two available in all exterior body colors. As on the LC Coupé, the A-pillar trim matches the headlining, while special attention has been paid to the details of the seat upholstery.
A special edition color scheme is offered with a deep metallic blue paired with the Marine blue hood and white and blue interior trim.
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