I’m looking forward to the LC 500 convertible—like, really looking forward to it. For me, the LC convertible is the perfect showcase for Lexus’s masterpiece 5.0L V8. I’ve sampled this engine in the LC 500 coupe and the IS 500 sedan, and I know it blends splendid symphonies with ripping road performance. I figure the experience will be even better with the top down.
Usually I’m miffed when a company cuts the top off a fire-breathing sports car, but the LC 500 coupe was already too large, too heavy (~4400 lbs) and too soft to be a track weapon. So why not embrace on-road pleasures and toss aside the roof? The driver and passenger alike will be wooed with sunny vibes and orchestral engine notes.
The LC 500 is six years old, yet its looks are so sharp it could have been born today. (Or tomorrow.) The wedge-shaped convertible is exceedingly fetching and—on beauty alone—is worth every dollar of its $106,550 MSRP.
As futuristic as is its exterior, the LC 500’s interior is timeless. Flowing door cards reach for a rectilinear dashboard. The recently updated infotainment touchscreen is modestly sized, and physical buttons give easy access to the most frequently used commands. Nothing about the cabin screams, “It’s 2024, and Tesla is king, baby!” Instead, the high-quality materials and elegant lines should look good for decades. My tester had black hides, but may I suggest tan or red leather? The bold colors look splendid!
Yet my test drive proved that the LC 500 convertible is everything I hoped for, but sadly, it is a car I will never own.
The problem isn’t under the hood because a drive in the LC 500 is all about the engine. The exemplary naturally-aspirated 5.0L V8 is even better here than in the IS 500. It has the tight and touchy throttle response of a rev-happy NA V8 that teaches your right foot the merits of smooth inputs. (I’ll happily polish my footwork to be worthy of this magnificent mill.) And it has an ever-changing song that finds new tones and timbres as the tachometer needle reaches for the 7300 rpm redline.
(BMW has these characteristics in its S65 V8, but now their turbo V8s seem more muscle car than Formula 1.)
Although the LC 500 is only offered with a 10-speed automatic, the transmission response is so crisp and rewarding that you’re encouraged to make extraneous downshifts. When you do, petrol-addled joy flows through your veins as the V8 barks out the automated throttle blips.
Thanks to the high redline and longish gears (the third gear runs to 90 mph), you can stay flat on the gas for a long time before upshifting. The V8 changes tone three or four times as you charge up the rev range, which is endless amusement.
With 471 horsepower and rear-wheel drive, the LC 500 has little chance of keeping up with the turbocharged AWD Germans. Lexus claims 0-60 mph in 4.6s; the 523hp BMW M850i and the 479 hp Mercedes AMG SL 55 do the deed almost one second faster. But I don’t care one iota because the LC 500 has more character in its pinky toe than either the Mercedes or the BMW has in its whole body.
Yes, the car has bitey brakes, good ride comfort, and athletic handling, but it doesn’t matter much, as you’ll just want to play the musical drivetrain and slice through the gears all day.
(I’d like more texture and grain in the wheel, but the precise yet muted steering is appropriate for a Lexus grand tourer.)
So why will I never own an LC 500 convertible? Because, sadly, this chassis needs its roof.
The LC 500 convertible lets through a constant stream of shimmies and shakes. The jitters are mild enough that you might blame the road surface rather than the chassis, but the drop-top is at fault. (Traveling the same test route in the IS 500 revealed no pavement imperfections.)
So praise Lexus that the LC 500 exists as a coupe, as it may perfect the convertible LC 500’s imperfections!
Mike's Steering Column 