Is the New Twin-Turbo V8 the Powerplant for the LC F?
After years of rumors, it appears that Lexus has in fact designed a twin-turbo V8 that'll soon land in certain production cars.
Buried News
Recently, Lexus announced its plans to once again campaign the Gazoo Racing LC at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring race for the third time. But buried in this news was a much more interesting tidbit. Turns out, the LC will utilize a newly developed twin-turbo V8. Even better, the automaker confirmed that this new engine is "destined for use on future road cars such as sports cars."
Photos: Lexus
Speculation Begins
It's been over six years since rumors of a Lexus twin-turbo V8 first surfaced. Since then, the rumors have persisted, popping up at least once seemingly every year/ But this is the first sign we've received any sort of confirmation that it's real. Otherwise, we don't know exactly what this new engine will look like. But we can certainly speculate.
Photos: Lexus
Smaller, Rev Happy Engine?
Of course, Lexus could just slap a pair of turbos on its existing 5.0-liter V8 and call it a day. But previous rumors centered around an all-new design that consists of two 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines being mated together to form a 4.0-liter V8. This smaller displacement engine would be a high-revving piece, to say the least.
Photos: Lexus
Output Debate
The expected output of this new engine has also been a pretty hot topic. Some estimate it to be around 592 hp, all the way up to 660 ponies. Torque would obviously suffer from a reduced displacement, coming in at around 506 lb-ft. Regardless, this new mill will handily outperform the LC's existing 5.0-liter, which produces 471 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque.
Photos: Lexus
Expected Applications
We assume that the new twin-turbo mill will land in the LC, especially since it will power the brand's racing version of the sleek coupe. But Lexus did say that it would power future sports cars, which means more than one. We'd guess that we'll also see the turbo'd powerplant in the RC F, and perhaps the GS F or maybe even a high-performance future SUV product to battle the Germans.
Photos: Lexus
Trickle Down Theory
In addition to the new engine, Lexus also noted that the new racing LC will feature a host of other changes. We presume these will relate to the car's weight, suspension, and tuning. The real question is, will some of this trickle down to the production version, perhaps in the form of the long-rumored LC F?
Photos: Lexus
True Contender
Regardless of the details, this is fantastic news for Lexus fans. The LC is no doubt a great car, albeit one that really needs a higher performance version. The addition of a new, twin-turbo V8 figures to do exactly that, and should immediately thrust the automaker into the heated supercar market with no problem.
Photos: Lexus
Check out the how-to sections of ClubLexus.com for help keeping your car in great shape.