Lexus RC F CCS-R 2015 Review
Racing concept could enter production as the Lexus response to C 63 'Black Series'International Launch Review
Mount Fuji, Japan
Lexus late last month rolled-out a standard RC F coupe and a drastically lightened performance prototype – the CCS-R – for evaluation at the Fuji Speedway in Japan.
The RC F came first. Despite the claims made by Lexus for the RC F, it has a tendency to understeer and it isn't as nimble changing direction as the BMW M4 that sets the benchmark in this market segment. These are traits we had already discovered while testing for Australia's Best Driver's Car.
The RC F has a gazillion safety systems to make sure you stay in control even if you overcook it entering or exiting a corner. Switch those systems off and you can induce a decent sideways flaunt. Oh, and the Lexus does feel very heavy. Tipping the scales at 1790kg, it's over 200kg heavier than its German rivals, the M4 and the Mercedes-AMG C 63.
The CCS-R, which weighs the equivalent of two sumo wrestlers less than the standard RC F, felt a completely different machine.
It comes with a racing lip spoiler, flared fenders for wider Yokohama slicks, and an ex-Toyota F1-inspired rear wing. The CCS-R incorporates stiffer springs and dampers and a semi-race spec set-up inside featuring a roll cage, Recaro racing seat, retractable steering wheel for quick exits, a harness as well as a Perspex windows. It also gets slotted brake rotors and high-performance brake pads.
But the true beauty of the car is the RC F's near-stock 5.0-litre V8 and eight-speed transmission, a combination with race-proven reliability. In the 2010 Nurburgring 24-hours the Lexus IS F's showroom-spec V8 engine and eight-speed gearbox handled driving flat-out for 24 hours without issue, and finished the race fourth in its class.
A revised version of that IS F powertrain is installed in the RC F, boasting peak power of 351kW at 7100 rpm and 530Nm at 4800-5600rpm. By tweaking the CCS-R's exhaust and ECU, Lexus has extracted an extra 10kW, taking the output beyond 361kW and beefing up torque by a small amount.
From the pit lane exit, rifling through the gears and rounding the first corner, it was immediately obvious that the weight-saving measures, increased power and downforce, stiffer suspension and grippier rubber have completely transformed this car into a track special.
It is much quicker out of the blocks and allows you to brake far later entering a corner. It turns in superbly with a logarithmic improvement in grip levels. The Lexus permits you to put a lot more load on the wider tyres, especially when cornering, and this results in faster lap times.
The RC F's torque vectoring system works well to regulate power delivery to the rear tyres, ensuring that torque is sent to the wheel that needs it. But not being able to switch off the VDIM system entirely means that the car is inherently maintaining a margin of error.
The car is a blast to drive. It feels light, fast and corners with the minimum of fuss. And with every gear change, you are being mesmerised by the coupe's addictive V8 growl which is significantly louder inside the car given the lack of sound absorbing material.
As a car that's dynamically more responsive than the RC F donor, the CCS-R is also nearly four seconds faster around Fuji than its predecessor, the IS F CCS-R. That translates to 20 seconds faster around the Nurburgring.
Yet, unlike the RC F competing in Japan's Super GT500 championships, the RC F CCS-R is not an all-out racing car. It is a very well orchestrated, very safe competition car for racers and gentlemen drivers. And by all accounts, its initial outings at Pikes Peak and the Nurburgring have proved that Lexus is onto something.
Some will argue that the CCS-R is the RC F Lexus should have made in the first place. But that's just the beginning of the story, because there are already rumours circulating that Lexus is looking at launching a CCS-R inspired road car that would knock horns with the likes of the BMW M4 GTS and the Mercedes AMG C 63 Black Series...
2015 Lexus RC F CCS-R pricing and specifications:
Price: $TBA
Engine: 5.0-litre eight-cylinder petrol
Output: 361kW/430Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: N/A
CO2: N/A
Safety Rating: N/A
Photos by Atsushi Harada
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