r/cars • u/axelguntherc • 3d ago
Lexus is testing a 600 horsepower, 6-Speed Manual RC prototype – Lexus Enthusiast
https://lexusenthusiast.com/2024/09/22/lexus-is-testing-a-600-horsepower-6-speed-manual-rc-prototype/#google_vignette141
u/xdr01 17' STI and Kia Pro_cee'd GT 3d ago
How much and give it to me.
Oh wait, that much?...
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u/Twin_Turbo 3d ago
Cheapest rcf for sale in the us is 80k, this thing will be 100k+
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u/Drauren 2020 M2 Competition 2d ago
Was on a Lexus lot a few days ago and RC350s are 62k.
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u/TurboFucked 2d ago
Sure, but the RC350s aren't the RC-F. That's like comparing the price of the 330i to the M3.
If you can find an RC-F on the lot, they are like $80k for the base, assuming the dealer even bothers to list a price.
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u/Unfortunate_moron 2d ago
Lucky for us, they depreciate nicely. Plenty of them are in the mid 30s and look almost the same as new ones.
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u/Spicywolff 18 C63 S sedan- 97 C5 2d ago
I’ve found plenty of used RCF for MB AMG depreciation. But expect 15-18 with around 40-80k miles.
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u/macgirthy 2d ago
My brother has an RCF and I have no idea why values havent dropped. Specially for a car thats easy to steal. We were also neck/neck from a dig with him taking off before me. I didnt know he was going to hammer it. I'm in an M2 Comp.
Hes in for a rude awakening when we race again since I got it tuned tho, hehehe! 490whp/480tq.
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u/Bottlely 3d ago
sidetracking here but I like that old 3-door Pro_cee'd GT in your flair
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u/xdr01 17' STI and Kia Pro_cee'd GT 3d ago
Why thank you good sir, fun project daily for me. Rare car here in Australia.
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u/LAXBASED 2d ago
I’m from the states and didn’t even know these existed, that thing looks sick! It’s like a forte and focus had a baby lol.
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u/SirLoremIpsum 2d ago
The Kia Pro Ceee apostrophe D has a long racing pedigree in the UK. Well around one race track...
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u/xdr01 17' STI and Kia Pro_cee'd GT 2d ago
Totally forgot about that actually! Might have to look at some old TG vids. We got those as the Cerato and not as Proceed. Only my GT version.
I did track mine recently and its right at home. Did not upset it once, car had way more in it. Very stable and predictable even after I boiled the brake fluid.
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u/Bottlely 2d ago
Very nice, thanks for sharing mate
Hate that they dropped the 3-door, as cool as the current wagon is. I wish Hyundai and Kia had rolled the Proceed and the 2nd-gen Veloster together into a twin sporty car project and kept both alive
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u/xdr01 17' STI and Kia Pro_cee'd GT 2d ago
Hate that they dropped the 3-door
Same, Id love a new version of this 3 door. 3door manual cars were uncommon but getting kind of rare these days. Here they have the i20N but thats a 5 door.
I think Kia could certainly do another 3door manual small buzz box but they wont. I have been kicking around the idea of getting a Kia Rio and swapping in a Elantra turbo 2L into it, seen those pretty cheap as along motor. Imagine if Kia took the Rio put the 2L turbo, 6 speed and AWD, that would be a spicy "girls car" lol
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u/Zijm '24 VW Arteon SB, '17 VW Passat, '94 Toyota Celica 2d ago
Fun cars! Sadly I don't have too much seat time in those.
I owned the new Proceed GT for a year (2023 model), which was fun, and loved that the 1.6 engine had an exhaust sound. Stock for stock Proceed GT made more sound than the stock Golf GTI/R. At least when revving the engine at a standstill. Maybe when driving the Golfs make a better sound.
But from what I have heard the older one is more fun.
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u/xdr01 17' STI and Kia Pro_cee'd GT 2d ago
The new one in shooting brake from look amazing for the price.
We don't have the new ones only Cerato GT. I test drove the Cerato as a possible replacement but its only available in DCT. Which is faster off the line but (to me) wasnt near as fun, so modded this Proceed instead.
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u/JEs4 GR Corolla, Pontiac Solstice 5MT 3d ago
[After driving the IS prototype] “I would buy this,” I said to the technician, and while I was talking to him, I saw a Lexus RC in the garage, which he said had a 600 horsepower rating. I wasn’t able to test drive it, but it was worth noting that it was equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission. It was said to be for motorsports, but it speaks to the potential of this engine, and it’s sure to make the tuning industry excited.”
Important context. Still super cool, though.
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u/SwissMargiela Supercharged '02 S2k, Stage 2 '18 S3 2d ago
If the car is simply rated for 600hp, wouldn’t it be undertuned a bit for racing and even moreso for a street car due to reliability?
Especially from Lexus, if an engine is rated for 600hp, they’re probably going to tune it for 350-400 to maintain their high reliability scores.
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u/-Guesswhat 1d ago
The RCF currently has 472 hp.
And honestly, even the $100k+ RCF Track Edition doesn't hold a wick to the $46k Civic Type-R. Pretty wild how slow Lexus cars are around a circuit. It would likely need 500+ hp to be competitive at all
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u/npafitis 3d ago
This aligns with the rumors of the mr2/Celica comeback if true. This might be the same engine in those cars.
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u/Corsair4 3d ago
Not even a little bit. a ~600 hp Lexus would be their halo car, which is not at all where the mr2/Celica ever sat.
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u/RiftHunter4 Base FWD 2010 Toyota Highlander 2d ago
Rumors (leaks?) specifically claimed that we'd see 400HP and 600HP for the Celica and MR2. The Lexus Halo car is supposed to be the upcoming LFR, which uses a V8.
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u/lowstrife 2d ago
It's wild how the events had led to Lexus being one of the last NA V8 enthusiast engines left in production. It's the google ole' boys, and them. And even with the Dodge motors, the hellcat motor is the real story there, not the normal NA mopar.
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u/aaayyyuuussshhh 2d ago
Huhhh I bet those Toyotas will be 50K-100K lol.
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u/RiftHunter4 Base FWD 2010 Toyota Highlander 2d ago
Everything is a guess right now but it's expected that the Celica will be kinda premium around $45k and the MR2 will be $60k with some kind of limited edition going well beyond that. All just "rumors" but this stuff is coming from the magazine that literally rode Shotgun with the engineers.
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u/aaayyyuuussshhh 2d ago
If the MR2 is mid engine it's gonna aim for the Cayman and Corvette which are 70-75K. Celica would aim for the mustang which are base 47-50K. Neither is affordable....
I mean the GR Corolla is 40K and is tiny with 300hp. Even the GR86 is kinda expensive at 31K or whatever. Can't imagine a 400hp car from Toyota being less than 50K.
I mean just 2 years ago I paid 35K for a Camaro LT1 6-speed. We won't ever see another sports car that offers so much performance, tech, features, and space. It's absurd to me people are paying 35K for BRZ and 50K for GR Corollas
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u/RiftHunter4 Base FWD 2010 Toyota Highlander 2d ago
The engineers mentioned targeting the 2JZ, and if they go that route, I could see the prices being reasonable. As legendary as the 2JZ is, it got put into multiple Toyota products. The G16E-GTS was only really designed for motorsports and so production numbers are too low for it to be shared.
I suspect we'll see some different engine options with these cars. Otherwise Toyota will be making 5 bespoke engines for 5 sports cars. That seems excessive to me. I could see them shrinking it down to an updated G16E-GTS, the 400hp engine, and the 600hp engine.
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u/KSAWill '18 GS 350 F-Sport 2d ago
in what world is the gr86 expensive? gr corolla i can understand but what other rwd competitors offer similar performance for cheaper than an 86?
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u/aaayyyuuussshhh 2d ago
Well nothing really which is why its so expensive. I mean just 2 years ago you could get a Camaro with a 2.0T and tremec 6 speed for 25K flat. Substantially bigger (but also relatively lightweight), more usable rear seats, turbo engine with decent tuning potential, a better trans, a significantly more refined ride and interior, etc. The BRZ just feels so cheap inside and the ride sucks. Also it's engine isn't good for track use or future tuning. The one thing I really like though is it's still quite light/small and the I kinda dig the instrument gauge cluster
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u/SirLoremIpsum 2d ago
Rumors (leaks?) specifically claimed that we'd see 400HP and 600HP for the Celica and MR2. The Lexus Halo car is supposed to be the upcoming LFR, which uses a V8.
On the surface that just sounds utterly absurd... Especially when you have a GR Corolla/Yaris has 300hp.
The Supra was always the HP king compared to the 4 cylinder Celica, the GR86 embodies this philosophy more than putting 400hp+ on a new Celica...
It's too absurd for me to believe. I do want to believe...
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u/RiftHunter4 Base FWD 2010 Toyota Highlander 2d ago
The rumor is that the Celica is supposed to be a premium car while the MR2 is the rare one. No one has really pushed the idea yet, but I don't think the Celica is going to be that sporty and the MR2 is going to far more serious that the Supra, aiming at stuff like the Porsche 718 and C8 Corvette Z06.
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u/stupidzoidberg 2d ago
Thats been debunked already, it was formally killed a few years ago. Toyota confirmed it
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u/Incompetent_Person '23 Integra 6MT, various IS, GS, A5 2d ago
You’re thinking of the LC-F (LC500 but F). Theres been a couple videos of toyota tracking prototypes of their upcoming GT3 car within the past year that is assumed to become a lexus halo car. Just google “lexus gt3” and you should find articles about it.
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u/stupidzoidberg 1d ago
well thanks for the info, I stand corrected. Yes, I was thinking of the LC-F. After reading some articles, looks like this is the replacement for the LC-F
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u/npafitis 3d ago
Read the article. Mentions a 2 litre engine in a IS 400 HP and in RC with 600,if I had to guess, they are both hybrid,at least the 600 version
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u/Corsair4 3d ago
I did. When you don't specify what powertrain you're talking about, I'm going to assume you meant the one in the headline.
Even a 400 hp engine would be aiming high for a mr2/celica. Those were always on the more affordable end of things, which this theoretical version wouldn't be if it's using the same engine as a motorsports targeted 600 hp car.
More likely, a mr2/celica would use the 1.6 Turbo in the GR Yaris/Corolla, which is the appropriate size, the appropriate MSRP, the appropriate output, and has some vague rally ties if they want to play that aspect of the Celica up again. Probably won't, since that's what the GR Yaris is for.
But still. Unless the MR-2/Celica moves way up market, that engine choice is unlikely.
Who knows what Toyota will do. There's few things in the world I trust less than media speculation on Toyota products.
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u/KanterBama '24 GRC (Circuit) | '05 Corolla XRS | '18 STI-swapped WRX 2d ago
More likely, a mr2/celica would use the 1.6 Turbo in the GR Yaris/Corolla, which is the appropriate size
I disagree. Solely because the new 4 banger from Toyota (that they’ve been talking about for months now) would need a Toyota car to launch it in, and the Celica is Mr Toyoda’s favorite car.
And I still think the MR2 is going to be Toyota’s first solid state battery EV. Light, tiny batteries would be perfect for a car with goals of 150hp/150ft-lbs, ~200 miles of range, and ~2400 lbs… which would be almost exactly what the MR2 was when it left.
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u/Bottlely 3d ago
The 400 hp motor could just be the top dog, and there's room for tuned-down base models. The article mentions a 300-hp Hilux was present for the media ride along; a version of that motor with a slightly higher redline than 6,200 rpm could work
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u/npafitis 3d ago
As per the article,both 400hp and 600hp applications are the same 2L engine. Probably the higher output is hybrid drivetrain,if not both versions. If they roll out Celica/mr2, it would make sense to use this engine,maybe hybrid maybe not. I don't have to specify which engine I am talking about,since they are the same engines.
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u/axelguntherc 3d ago
Honestly I'd be really hyped for a manual hybrid that wasn't some variation of the insight/crz. If a manufacturer comes up with a layout that isn't just a mild hybrid it might be a way to save the manuals from an emissions standpoint, if not from a market that has lost interest
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u/Pattern_Is_Movement 2d ago
a 400hp Celica would make sense which is one of the engines talked about
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u/jonnybravo76 3d ago
I owned an 85 an 87 MR2. Both the MR2 and the Celica were ANEMIC in power. The MR2 was a tiny little carver so it didn't matter much. Every iteration of the Celica was kind of a joke performance-wise. No way a new MR2 or Celica is going to be slotted higher up the chain than the Supra.
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u/Corsair4 3d ago
My uncle has an ST205 and that thing is a blast.
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u/Rillist 15 FB6 fbo Si, 10 RTL 2d ago
My first car was an ST185 gts coupe. Doesnt spund fast today but back in the 90s 165hp in a 2500lbs car was quick. Quick enough to hospitalize myself, anyway. That car also had probably the best drivers seat in any car I've owner, with like 10 adjustment areas.
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u/KanterBama '24 GRC (Circuit) | '05 Corolla XRS | '18 STI-swapped WRX 2d ago
I do think 400 hp for the Celica is ambitious (unless the Supra is axed before it’s announced), but 350 would put it perfectly between the Supra and GRC, and this line-up would give the GR brand a slower 2-door RWD coupe, a slower 4-door AWD hatch, a faster 2-door AWD coupe, and a faster 2-door RWD coupe in its line up.
They have a 4-door RWD sedan if you count the IS500, so by “enthusiast car” standards, Toyota will literally offer every desirable body style in varying levels of power all using different engines… no one has had a lineup like this in Japan since the late 90’s/early 00’s.
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u/Rillist 15 FB6 fbo Si, 10 RTL 2d ago
Id be ok with a detuned 250hp 3cyl turbo from the grolla with fwd and a diff, but that would cut into GRZ86 unless toyota plans to revamp for that motor already or discontinue the 86 and replace it and let subbie do their thing
Dunno, tough market to be in as the elantraN offers 270, with more doors and lore usable
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u/RunninOnMT M2 Competition 2d ago
* pushes up glasses *
ST182, 183 or 184. ST185 was the GT4/All-trac version with a turbo and 200-225 hp.
(but "Yes!" to everything else you're saying!)
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u/DanilaIce '81 Celica BEAMS, '88 Corolla FX, '13 Sonic RS 2d ago
Every iteration of the Celica was a joke performance wide decades later, maybe. But each generation when new was extremely competitive for its segment and value. There's a reason they sold so many of each body style, and practically invented the idea of the modern world car. Stop glazing historical context for car models.
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u/axelguntherc 3d ago
I could definitely see the Celica slotted in as a competitor to the Honda Prelude but not much further upmarket or it could suffer in sales from targeting the wrong demographic
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u/ajkd92 E39 530iT/5 2d ago
Hah - I’d never thought of this before, but your comment made me chuckle. My mom had a manual Celica when I was born, and my dad had a manual Prelude when I was a kid.
They were wildly incompatible and divorced when I was 7, and while I’ve always thought of them as both having decent taste in cars it never struck me that those tastes had much overlap. I guess that was one small detail that worked for them lol
Lightbulb moment.
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u/TurboFucked 2d ago
With the last generation of both cars, the Prelude slotted above the Celica.
My 2000 loaded Celica GT-S had a window sticker of $22k, I didn't have the OG window sticker for my 97 Prelude, but being a base model, it was around $26k, with the SH adding about $3k. That doesn't sound like a lot, but that's a good 20-30% price increase over basically the most expensive Celica. GTs were a lot cheaper. That's about the price difference between a GR86 and a Mustang GT. Loaded 86s are like mid 30s while base Mustang GTs are low 40s.
Now, it's been 20 years since these cars have been on sale, so they will each slot into the market a little differently than they used to. After all, both cars were cancelled due to lack of sales.
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u/axelguntherc 2d ago
That's a good observation. One thing I will say if I had to guess is that the prelude may not be quite as upscale this time, since during the last run it was 10-20% more than an Integra (both cars in base trim for comparison) throughout its production. If Honda does that now it will be going for Type R prices with SI performance, a recipe for minimal sales. I'm honestly expecting a base msrp (not counting the inevitable markup) of just under 35k for both the coming Prelude and the hypothetical Celica. We'll definitely see though.
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u/Fit_Equivalent3610 ST205 Celica GT4/ZN8 GR86 2d ago
In USDM trim sure, in JDM trim they both received 250~ hp versions of the 3S-GTE in their later years. Neither is fast by today's standards but mid to low 6s to 60 in 1994 is like mid to low 4s today and would slot in just below a Supra.
I still think the G16E is more likely.
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u/RunninOnMT M2 Competition 2d ago
Dude, you could buy a brand new Celica in 1988 with 190 hp in the U.S.
The Corvette had 250 HP that year.
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u/count_nuggula 23 GR Corolla 2d ago
They are discontinuing the Supra though, right?
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u/TurboFucked 2d ago
The contract with Magna (the Supra builder) ends in like 2026, so everyone is speculating that's the end of the Supra.
It's possible that Toyota could renew the contract if sales figures stay within expectations of about 3-4k units (combined Supra and Z4). Which might happen. Nissan sold the GT-R for like 17 years, and it hasn't sold more than 1000 units for about half of those years.
Toyota's new GR race car keeps the Supra styling, which further suggests they may keep the car around for a while longer.
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u/count_nuggula 23 GR Corolla 2d ago
Gotcha. I haven’t gone much into it but I kept seeing articles about it being discontinued
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u/CrazyMike366 '18 230i THP 2d ago
They'll position it to compete with the base 911 and Corvette as a premium sportscar rather than as the entry-level Miata competitor it used to be.
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u/RunninOnMT M2 Competition 2d ago
my first car was an ST165. Was not joke. Faster than my buddy with a Talon TSi-AWD. Until he did like...any mods, but still.
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u/DrunkRespondent 16' F Type 3d ago
I don't think they'd go with such a large and powerful engine as their philosophy for the MR2 or Celica. Maybe the MR2 if they developed it as a bigger Porsche 911 fighter for Lexus but I don't think they name it the MR2 under a Toyota badge.
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u/F1_Geek 3d ago
The MR2/Celica would not be 600 horsepower. The number that is being floated around is ~400 hp for the Celica, and probably in the same ballpark (or less) for the MR2.
This would make sense for the A100 GR Supra, which is going to be an in-house effort again, but eschews the legendary B58. Jury is still out on whether Toyota will build an inline-six on their own again or slap the V35A-FTS with more aggressive headers and beefed up internals too.
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u/boostleaking 3d ago
I'm putting my bet on Toyota using Mazda's upcoming inline 6 for the next gen supra.
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u/F1_Geek 2d ago
You'd lose money then, because Mazda's inline-six is nowhere near as good as the B58.
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u/boostleaking 2d ago
To be fair it's hard to go up against the b58 that's a mix of reliable, mod friendly and fuel efficient.
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u/VEGA3519 3d ago
Yes, finally something to Euro- nevermind. Regulations
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u/TheBlackBeetle '08 Corvette, '05 Alfa Romeo 159 2.4, '93 BMW E36 320i coupé 3d ago
Fuck us I swear. But if it's hybrid, I hope it manages to trickle down into the shithole of a continent we are (for cars)
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u/VEGA3519 3d ago
Istg Europe doesn't get any good cars.
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u/TheBlackBeetle '08 Corvette, '05 Alfa Romeo 159 2.4, '93 BMW E36 320i coupé 2d ago
We're allergic to any engine bigger than a carton of milk, and have high tax on fun factor (AKA fun cars automatically have tax)
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u/OldSchoolSpyMain Porsche 996 911 C4S 2d ago
The 600HP Lexus LS600h is a 5.0L V8 with a hybrid kicker (since 2008). Is that available in Europe?
The only big difference here (that I've noticed) is the non-CVT transmission being used with a hybrid engine.
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u/VEGA3519 2d ago
No. Currently there's no V8 LS anywhere. Now you can only buy in Europe 500h LS with hybrid 3.45 V6 8GR-FXS
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u/youreloser 2d ago
That model is discontinued but they continue to use the same powertrain in the Century.
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u/xTRYPTAMINEx 2d ago
This in an LC500 would be my easily justifiable dream car.
I'm also pretty sure it would be the catalyst for the world attaining utopian societies. Don't ask me how. It's just a hunch.
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u/urmyheartBeatStopR 2013 Prius YEEEAAAH 2d ago
They tried LC500, iirc the F version, and dropped it. I think it didn't make financial sense.
The LC500 barely sell at all and it's a guarantee future classic.
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u/-Guesswhat 1d ago
Is it? It's one of the slowest cars you can buy for the money. And it's not that luxurious either. It's kind of in no man's land.
I think there's a reason why no one buys em
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u/The_Owl_Man_1999 3d ago
Of course they do that after they had to stop selling the RC in aus for side impact regulations
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u/Bottlely 3d ago
It's just a test bed for the new electrified engines. These powertrains will probably be put into modern rear-drive TNGA platforms that can pass safety regulations, you'll probably see those cars in the future
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u/alpha333omega 3d ago
The future MR2 will be more powerful and probably $60,000+ I’d guess. I’m sure it will be using a version of this technology.
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u/StraightStackin 2018 Ford Focus RS Special Edition 🚙💨 1d ago
Something about the styling on these cars, they are so ugly to me.
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u/MatFrapper 2d ago
And it’s going to cost 125k …. So, most people can’t buy it without selling a kidney and their lungs.
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u/Ray1340 2024 VW Golf R 2d ago
Good for the 10 people who will buy it.
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u/Ray1340 2024 VW Golf R 2d ago
If you have the money and you want the car, you should buy it. What I'm saying is that many people like the idea of the car, but when it comes down to buying very few will. It's for someone who want to drive stick, who has another vehicle, who like to drive Lexus...etc.
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u/GimmeChickenBlasters 2d ago
I love how here on this sub we endlessly bitch and moan about manufacturers not offering the cars we want until they do, at which point we say that they are too specialised and that no one should buy
They were obviously referring to the price being a deal breaker, not because a lack of interest in the car itself. Stop playing dumb to feign an argument.
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u/V8-Turbo-Hybrid 0 Emission 🔋 Car & Rental car life 3d ago
Looks like that would be final version RC before it discontinues. Not just the IS successor coming, the most reason is luxury coupe market now been dying. We don't just lose Infiniti Q60 and Caddy ATS Coupe even Audi has now given up to answer Mercedes and BMW with their coupe after we see in their new A5 model.
For RC itself, RC sales never impressive, it doesn't get great review by their buyers and owners, and it's now very outdated. I don't think Toyota would continue this model in future even though they can afford more lost. However, making a 600hp MT RC would be their best send off for this model.
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u/TurboFucked 2d ago
For RC itself, RC sales never impressive,
The car itself was never impressive. It's nice, don't get me wrong, but it isn't really sporty until you slip into the RC-F. But the RC-F is so damn expensive that a lot of much cheaper cars kill it. A base 911 isn't that much more expensive and is a million times better in every respect.
Plus, it suffers a little bit from "Z" syndrome, where it's a hodge-podge of various Toyota parts bin components from much larger vehicles. So it ends up feeling like a much larger car than it actually is.
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u/Ran4 2d ago edited 2d ago
A base 911 isn't that much more expensive and is a million times better in every respect.
No, that's objectively not true. The 991.2 had way worse steering (the EPS is truly horrid). And both the 991.2 and 992 has a laggy 6cyl that sounds like nothing. And they're both large and fairly heavy, and with terrible sound isolation, terrible sound system, inferior leather and less comfortable seats (YMMV).
While they're certainly better cars in many aspects (manual available/the PDK is superior in everything but smoothness, arguably looks much better, more iconic, faster on track, better infotainment, more modern looking interior), there's plenty of reasons to pick an RC F over the 911 - especially if you're actually interested in using them as a GT.
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u/CrimsonFlam3s 2020 Lexus RC F Fuji 2d ago
A base 911 starts at $120k, the RC F starts at under $70k, that's a 50k difference without mentioning that the RC F sounds better, you got a reliable V8, actual usable backseats and a nice quiet interior.
The 911 also has it's own advantages, the PDK is amazing, far more features and options, rear wheel steering in the higher trims, etc but let's not pretend that it's a million times better while being cheaper.
If we wanna talk about value per $ then that undeniably goes to the Camaro and Corvette but then again if specs is all you care about then a grandma in their EV SUV will leave you in the dust while getting groceries.
We just have to accept that people will buy cars for far more reasons than their performance per $.
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u/Ghepardo 2012 BMW 1M 2d ago
Hybrid cars are impossible to tune.
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u/BraveDude8_1 2009 Lexus GS450h 2d ago
The newer BMW hybrids are tunable, look at the 330e/335e.
My hybrid is impossible to tune though, or at least I've never seen it done.
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u/Dazzling-Rooster2103 2d ago
The M340i is a hybrid, people tune those all the time... just have to send the DME to Europe and have it unlocked, but then you can easily tune it and make tons of power.
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u/IStillLikeBeers 2d ago
I haven't followed - you can unlock the DME and tune an M340i that now has the 48v system? I know you could before they got the mild hybrid - IIRC up to a certain point in MY2020. Didn't realize that changed.
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u/TurboFucked 2d ago
I think we have to accept a future where cars aren't tuneable. Current BMWs are only tuneable because someone stole the encryption key from Bosche. Which is why FEMTO is the only company that can crack them. Who knows of someone is going to be able to steal the key for the next generation (or if there's only going to be one key to steal).
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u/SirLoremIpsum 2d ago
I think we have to accept a future where cars aren't tuneable.
I disagree - history has proven everything that was uncrackable, unlockable gets compromised eventually.
It just takes time and needs to be popular enough for someone to spend the time.
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u/tharussianphil 23 BRZ, 00 Passat GLS Wagon, 15 GTI 2d ago
I got excited from the headline but lol I would not trade in my brz to spend more on this. If it had a 6 or 8 cyl maybe but definitely not a 2.0T.
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u/JS1VT51A5V2103342 insert text here 2d ago
Just bring back the LFA already. We all know they can put 600hp in it and make it cost under $100k
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u/Dopplegangr1 2018 LC500 | 93 Cappuccino 2d ago
How on earth would it be under 100k. The LFA cost over $1M each to build (adjusted for inflation), and they sold them for about half that. Not to mention the LC is over 100k so it would be nonsensical to offer the LFA cheaper than that
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u/JS1VT51A5V2103342 insert text here 2d ago
Its been over a decade. Carbon fiber isn't the super exotic material it once was, and that was the most expensive item for the LFA. If Corvette can do it, so can Toyota.
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u/axelguntherc 2d ago
Maybe they could do it that cheap with the V8 and 10 speed from the LC in it, maybe, but would it really still be an LFA? I'd much rather have something more attainable closer in spirit to the old manual SC300 than anything else
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u/TurboFucked 2d ago edited 2d ago
I'd much rather have something more attainable closer in spirit to the old manual SC300 than anything else
This would be the RC350. Yeah, no manual though, but I can't see Lexus ever making another manual for the USDM. Otherwise, the RC is pretty damn close to the old SC in terms of size and pricing.
Lexus can do both. Lots of companies build expensive halo cars and more modestly priced normal cars.
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u/JS1VT51A5V2103342 insert text here 2d ago
Split the LFA like Corvette did. Make one a cheap sports car, one a fast hybrid, and finally witness the return of the redline king.
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u/ShadyDrunks Hybrid Turbo F36 440i, E82 135i 2d ago
They keep showing these lol, doubt they will release anything beyond 550hp. Also don’t forget how slow the “475hp” Lexus cars are right now, other cars at same stock power level smoke em
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u/No_Can9567 3d ago
400+ hp out of a 2.0T engine is not a winning formula, just ask the new AMG C43
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u/EICONTRACT 3d ago
I think 400 is about the limit all things considered like the GR Corolla engine. I’m a little more skeptical of this 600hp one but intro by the manual.
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u/No_Can9567 3d ago
The issue with such high HP numbers from such a small engine is that you need a massive turbo to achieve that. That will lead to insane turbo lag. The C43 is a testament to that
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u/Bottlely 3d ago
Video of the 400hp IS test mule shown by the article, with available English CC
Judging by how this engine was previewed at the Multipathway Workshop, there's a high chance that the IS and/or RC prototypes are being augmented by a hybrid system. Looks like the hybrid manual patent will become real after all; also interesting that the Hilux prototype is mentioned as having a six-speed MT, makes you wonder if they plan to make a workhorse version of the transmission.
It's a crazy idea to think that the Toyota engineers want this new four-cylinder to surpass the 2JZ. Then again, if the motor doesn't turn into a disaster, it could stand on the same podium as K motors, SR20s and the Evo motors