Lexus Has Two Concept Cars at Pebble Beach

The Greatest Show on Earth

Without question, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, held every August in California, is the most prestigious car show on the planet. Even calling it a car show denigrates the contest of beauty, condition, and correctness that regularly draws automotive history's most significant and valuable works of art out of collections and into public display. No wonder, then, that 2018 marks Lexus' 21st year as a sponsor. To celebrate the occasion, the company rolled out their newest concept vehicles at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering—the LC Inspiration Series Concept and the UX 250h Concept—calling them, "two very different takes on the future of luxury."

LC Inspiration

First up, Lexus seeks to showcase their stated core "passion for brave design" value, by underlining the LC Inspiration Concept's "bold designs and exclusive features." "Bold" in this case means a darker-than-fly-yellow paint Lexus calls Flare Yellow, set off by exclusive black 21-inch forged alloy wheels. In case it wasn't clear, visibility is the goal here, Lexus' press release points out the LC's "unmistakable look from any distance." A black carbon fiber roof also contrasts nicely with the eye-catching exterior hue, and an active rear spoiler pops up as needed.

>>Join the conversation about Lexus' presence at Pebble Beach right here in Club Lexus.

Inspiration Series

The yellow LC is the second edition of the Inspiration Series, the primary example being a Blue LC 500 that first saw the light about a year ago. That car was notable for a pigment-less paint that got its color from nano-structures within the coating, a finish Lexus said took eight months to perfect.

>>Join the conversation about Lexus' presence at Pebble Beach right here in Club Lexus.

LC Interior

The yellow theme continues inside the LC Inspiration with color-keyed Alcantara door inserts, as well as in the yellow stitching holding its leather seats together. Yellow stitching continues throughout the cabin, threading its way through the instrument pod, console, and glovebox. The yellow LC features Lexus' 471 hp 5.0-liter V8 and 10-speed automatic, and according to the carmaker, plans to produce this version of the LC are "under consideration."

>>Join the conversation about Lexus' presence at Pebble Beach right here in Club Lexus.

UX 250h

Lexus' second vehicle up for ogling was their customized UX 250h, helping keep the impending all-new 2019 Lexus UX compact crossover foremost in the luxury motoring public's mind. Lexus commissioned the UX from Clark Ishihara of VIP Auto Salon, who used neither paint nor nano-tech to transform the crossover's exterior—the darker-than-robin's-egg-blue hue is imparted via a wrap from Oracal.

>>Join the conversation about Lexus' presence at Pebble Beach right here in Club Lexus.

F Sport Bicycle

Vital to the concept, but not shown in the photos released by Lexus, is the inclusion of the Lexus F Sport Carbon Fiber Road Bicycle, fastened to the UX's custom roof rack (also not shown). The F Sport bike was built by Takumi to commemorate the the launch of the LFA, and made from the same materials found in the LFA's body shell.

>>Join the conversation about Lexus' presence at Pebble Beach right here in Club Lexus.

UX Perks

Rounding out the list of other mods made to the UX 250h concept is an NIA Auto Design lip spoiler kit; sporty-but-subtle Vossen VFS-1 wheels wrapped in Nitto Invo radials; and Apexi's N1 EXV Damper suspension and cat-back exhaust.

Lexus' 1989 birth year puts it a few decades short of a proper debut on the manicured lawns of Pebble Beach's Concours, but the company's vehicles are certainly no strangers to the event's parking areas. While we wait for the first LFA to score a perfect 100 points there, it's nice to see the automaker doing more than just biding time.

>>Join the conversation about Lexus' presence at Pebble Beach right here in Club Lexus.

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