Sometimes, something gorgeous comes along that leaves us scratching our heads. Today at The Quail, Lexus unveiled what it calls the Sport Concept, and while I absolutely can’t stop looking, it serves up more questions than answers.
Right out of the gate, we’re looking at something striking, a curvaceous, low coupe at a time when most brands are going all-in on crossovers. Daring? Certainly. Exquisite? From some angles, absolutely. Full of touches that could never possibly make it to production like a virtual absence of door handles and those deconstructed headlights? You bet.
However, Toyota has already shown off something called the GR GT in camouflaged form, and it seems to occupy the same space as this Lexus concept while looking quite different. So, what’s going on here? I have a feeling it’s just a slow roll of certain styling cues, but let’s take a look at the GR GT prototype and the Lexus Sports Concept side by side to see what’s up.
Alright, let’s start with the rear three-quarter view, albeit at slightly different angles because I can neither shoot the Sport Concept right now or travel back in time to Goodwood to shoot the GR GT. There’s lots here that appears similar but different. Both have a diagonal character line running into the fender vent, but it seems flatter on the GR GT. Both have a filler panel of sorts behind the side window, but it’s so much larger on the Sport Concept. Both have fin-line quarter panel inlets, but it’s far less dramatic on the GR GT. The big commonality? Check out those rear bumper vents. Talk about familial.
Likewise, things are quite different up front, especially when it comes to lighting. While the GR GT prototype features dedicated headlights above outer grilles, the Lexus Sport Concept sets individual headlight elements within massive outer grilles, while deleting a strip running horizontal across the nose that houses parking sensors and stuff. Interestingly, both cars feature a similar main grille, at least when it comes to the trapezoidal shape and the outer tooth-like elements.
Since the GR GT prototype features carbon ceramic brakes and dash-to-axle layout that implies a front-midship layout, of course it’s giving supercar energy, and Toyota’s last flagship-level performance car was a Lexus. However, the decision to unveil this Sport Concept after the camouflaged GR GT is puzzling. We already sort-of know what the production car will look like, so why pay much mind to something that really doesn’t look like that? Part of the reason the LC 500 works so well is that it looks so much like the LF-LC concept from 2012.
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Well, there’s always a chance the GR GT might not be Lexus’ only upcoming performance car. After all, the LC 500 is heading into its eighth model year, and there’s a huge gulf between that $100,000 coupe and a full-on supercar. So, maybe the incoming LFA successor won’t look super close to the Lexus Sport Concept, but maybe it’s portraying something else, sort of like the Toyota FT-1 did the Toyota GR Supra. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?
Top graphic image: David Tracy
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my say: keep the camouflage. so generic, something needs to make it remarkable. None, I would dare to say: all of them are forgettable today. Starting with rimac, shrimac, bugatti,shrubatti, ferrari, shmerrari, whatever.
This looks very Chinese-ey designed. Just generic and unmemorable.
The camo car looks much better than what we’re looking at here; fortunately this one is obviously not production-ready.
I think it’s just a case of the prototype being really well camouflaged. Also not unlikely that the styling wasn’t finalized when the prototype was built.
Good looking car but a bit busy in places.
It’s not shown here, but the exhaust outlet is under the retractable wing, which is interesting. Does that point to a hybrid that has to operate with the wing up when the gas engine is in use?
My guess, not like it matters
New more track/sport focused GR Supra and more GT/comfort focused Lexus LC (maybe SC). They’ll put two G16E-GTSes together to make a twin turbo in-line six with 600ish hp.
Then Morizo will retire happy that he truely brought back the Supra before the electrification apocalypse.
The fangs are still around. Toyota just can’t stay away from them.
Given the sales failure of the LFA, why does Lexus think this one will be any different?
LFA was expensive. Also the 2008-2010 period wasn’t great for selling luxury cars.
“On 21 October 2009, the production version of the Lexus LFA was unveiled on the first press day of the 41st biennial Tokyo Motor Show.[32] The car was introduced by Akio Toyoda at a press conference, in which it was disclosed that the vehicle would be limited to 500 production copies.”
And they made 500.
Article doesn’t call a price, but is this one supposed to be cheaper? And is today’s economic outlook any good?
They made only 500, but they didn’t sell them fast enough. IIRC there were still a few unsold cars in the 2020s, ten years after production ended.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the LFA; it still stands as the best production car engine I’ve ever heard.
I think the value of stocks and other things like crypto have made a lot of people rich by doing basically nothing. Even if the new LFA is the same price as the old one, then the devaluation of money and the huge appreciation of crypto and stocks should mean people basically pay just half for this new LFA than the old one. Perhaps even more. So no, I think today’s economics are better than post-2008.
Good point, there is more money for discretionary spending.
An EV supercar. So, like a budget Rimac?
If I’m getting a supercar, I’d prefer supercar sounds. It’s not bad looking, though.
The front fender on the GR GT camo car looks weird, not being connected to the car on the bottom.
Looks like lotus had a fire sale on “expanding the line” and needed to sell a prototype.
Meh… looks like ‘generic modern supercar’… in an uninteresting colour with wheels that are too big and tires that once again, don’t have enough sidewall.
Can we get Jason to crawl up there and do an ALEC pose on the hood??
I would love if the camo wrap were one of the color options.
Bottom shot looks like a still from a late night local tv ad.
COME ON DOWN TO CRAZY DAVE’S CARS! WE GOT EM ALL! EVEN FANCY CARS LIKE THIS HERE LEXUS!
If you’re dumb enough to buy a new car this weekend, you’re a big enough schmuck to come to Big Dave Hell’s Cars!
Come on down for some CHALLENGE PISSING!!
That’s right! CHALLENGE PISSING!!!
Bring your kids! Bring your wife! We’ll fuck her!
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Crazy Vaclav’s Place of Automobiles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07vdtBMG4Kg
A derivative mishmash of Everyone Else’s design cues, from Acura NSX to current Corvette to any number of other “hypercars.”
I’m sure the price will be stunning, though, if they build it. And, to be honest, I see no compelling case for putting it into production.
Not particularly attractive – but at least it doesn’t have the awful spindle grille anymore.
And it’s a nice color.
It’s not pretty.
The rear looks more interesting than the front.
Very cohesive design with strong attractive elements. SOmetimes I feel like they release stuff like this to plant seeds of design cues so that when they debut later models, we don’t react negatively to them. MAYA theory/Loewy, most advanced yet acceptable. Go too far at once and you get pushback from general public.
That’s a really good point. Lexus is clever enough to do that especially after the loud wailing about their predator grills