Rumoured Lexus LC F May Have Twin-Turbo V8 With Nearly 600bhp

With Lexus trademarking the ‘LC F’ name recently, it’s looking more and more likely that a hot version of the striking coupe is in the works. But what would power it?

Koji Sato - chief Lexus engineer - had previously suggested to Autocar that a hybrid powertrain would be the answer, probably involving a development of the existing V6 500h system. However, according to a new report in Car & Driver, the incoming LC F is set to be powered by a twin-turbo V8, and will be here as soon as the Tokyo Motor Show in October.

What’s particularly interesting is Lexus won’t just be strapping a pair of turbos to the 5.0-litre V8 found in the range-topping LC 500 (above). According to Car & Driver’s Lexus source, the company will be creating an all-new 4.0-litre V8, derived from a pair of Toyota’s 8AR 2.0-litre four-cylinder lumps.

Naturally, that’d be some undertaking just for a single, bonkers fast coupe, but the same engine is reportedly going to appear in the GS F too. In the GS F it’ll make 542bhp, but in the LC F? That’s set to get as much as 592bhp plus 470lb ft of torque, all put through a 10-speed automatic gearbox.

The downside? If all this turns out to be true, it would probably spell the end of that awesome, aforementioned N/A V8. In a world where N/A eight-bangers are in short supply, that seems like a shame.