LC500 Gets Dissected For Our Enjoyment
Lexus knows it has a winner on its hands with the LC500 and has no qualms about showing off the bits and pieces that make it such a wonderful car.
They really took it apart
With all of the car debuts that went on at the Frankfurt Motor Show, one display went for the most part unnoticed. That area would be one by Lexus in which a new LC 500 was cut open so that we all we stare in awe at the deliciously technological innards of the halo car. For a car that's gotten so much love for its aggressive stance and widened hips, we are just floored by what was lying right under the skin.
>>Join the conversation about the Dissected LC500 right here in the forum.
Two flavors of transmission
This "see-through" LC gives us all a chance to admire the driveline components, high-quality bearings, and a great view of the pistons at rest. Built on the new GA-L (global architecture, luxury) platform, the LC is a front-engine, rear wheel drive coupe with the top of the line 5.0 liter V8 mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. The hybrid 500h variant uses an Atkinson-cycle 3.5-liter V6 working with electric motors and paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission. Get a chance to sit behind the wheel of the gasoline version and you'll have command of 471 horsepower at the throttle. Choose the hybrid variant and there will be 354 horsepower ready for your right foot.
>>Join the conversation about the Dissected LC500 right here in the forum.
The interior of the interior
The interior of the LC has been lauded by everyone including us here when Lexus let us get our grubby little paws on it for a drive up to Monterey Car Week. However, getting a view of the car without all of the fancy bits of the cabin covering up things gives us a deeper appreciation of what's going on. How cool and strange it must be to sit in a car and looked down to see a massive transmission staring you in the face. The steering shaft's size is there to increase rigidity and cut down on vibrations that would otherwise travel throughout the steering wheel.
>>Join the conversation about the Dissected LC500 right here in the forum.
It's quite captivating
Also on full display is the Torsen Type-B differential that lets the car distribute the torque to the rear wheels so the car can stabilize itself with minimal steering assistance. The 10-speed transmission is clearly visible and magically takes up the same amount of room that the 8-speed unit. The two extra gears on the car allow the transmission to get 20 percent wider ratios over the hybrid version. Another noteworthy factoid is that the 10-speed weighs the same as the 8-speed thanks to the use of aluminum.
>>Join the conversation about the Dissected LC500 right here in the forum.
Will the LC F be next under the knife?
Lastly, let's look at the wheels that went under the knife to give us all its gooey innards. The LC500 is the first car in its segment that plays host to 21-inch wheels and the first to be cut from a single billet. The process that Lexus has decided to go with provides a stronger wheel that is also lighter than the competition. The wheel's circumference has lost a third of its surface to show odd the hub that would normally be in the shadow of it. A lot of manufacturers have done this in the past but seeing the LC get the science class treatment gives us an all new respect for all of the engineering that went into it.
>>Join the conversation about the Dissected LC500 right here in the forum.
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