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Lexus RC F glows with your heartbeat

It's not uncommon to see all manner of sensors being installed inside new cars these days, monitoring everything from ambient noise to our levels of alertness. The question is what the automakers will do with the information gathered by those sensors, and we've seen some fairly novel innovations. This latest solution from Lexus may not be the most useful, but it's definitely one of the most interesting we've seen to date. The Japanese luxury automaker's Australian division cooked up this special RC F show car with a heart-rate monitor and a special electroluminescent paint job. The sensors detect how fast the driver's heart is beating, and displays it accordingly down the side of the car's flanks. In daylight it looks like it's painted plain old ordinary silver, and otherwise it's the same luxury muscle coupe we know, with a 5.0-liter V8 churning out 467 horsepower in resolute defiance of the downsizing/turbocharging trend that's sweeping the industry. The project was cooked up by creative agency M&C Saatchi and uses glow-in-the-dark paint from American specialist Lumilor. The vehicle is set to be unveiled over the weekend, but you can scope it out now in the images below and the preview video above. Is it pointless? Almost entirely. Does that make it any less cool? Of course not. 22 July 2015 LEXUS GETS PULSES RACING WITH WORLD'S FIRST HEARTBEAT CAR Lexus Australia has developed the world's first vehicle to display a heartbeat on its exterior in a demonstration of advanced technology and the connection between man and machine. The Japanese luxury marque collaborated with creative agency M&C Saatchi to produce a one-off RC F V8 coupe that integrates a series of technologies to display a person's heartbeat in the vehicle's bodywork. The first stage of the system works by transmitting the heartbeat of a connected person from a heart rate monitor to a bespoke electrical system in the RC F. The on-board system captures and processes the data before sending an electric charge through the RC F's body panels that are painted in electroluminescent paint developed by US-based specialist Lumilor. This innovative paint finish glows when the electrical charge runs through it and displays the person's heartbeat via a real-time animation sequence. Lexus Australia chief executive Sean Hanley said the heartbeat car comes in the wake of other innovative brand activities in 2015 and an ongoing commitment to the development of high performance Lexus F vehicles.

Lexus teases new F Sport engine cover

Lexus has teased a new F Sport model by revealing just the engine cover. It could point to a new performance version of the 2021 Lexus IS, and a potential successor to the dearly departed IS F. The image was obtained by Lexus Enthusiast, which pointed out that the carbon-fiber pattern cover is exactly the same shape as the one found shrouding the 5.0-liter V8 that powers the GS F and RC F. Good for 467 horsepower and 389 lb-ft of torque and a symphonic revving sound, the 2UR-GSE has traditionally been the heart of Lexus's F performance line. The teased cover, however, shows an "F Sport" badge where the GS F and RC F's "F" badge once resided. That implies a car with stiffer sport suspension along with some of the styling of a full-blown F model, but not the full stable of horses under the hood. Recently, Best Car magazine reported that Lexus was about to come out with a trio of F models. We think this engine cover is unlikely to preview an LC F, as the LC 500 is already powered by the 2UR-GSE, and wears a completely different engine cover. Also, an LC F would likely be turbocharged and thus don a different cover altogether. While it's possible that Lexus would drop the more powerful 2UR-GSE into the LS to give it a 73-horsepower bump over its current 394, that would imply an LS F model, not a simple F Sport. And besides, the LS already has an F Sport variant. The Best Car report also indicated that the LS F in the works, if it happens at all — and that's a big "if" — would be propelled by a twin-turbo V8.  That leaves the new IS, which in its most powerful guise has a 3.5-liter V6 generating 311 horses and 280 lb-ft of torque. It's possible that rather the teased engine cover is foreshadowing an IS 500, a conclusion that Lexus Enthusiast also draws, albeit with slightly different reasoning. An IS 500 would be one way for Lexus to squeeze as much use out of its marvelous 2UR-GSE before the V8 goes the way of the dodo, but without having to develop an all-out F model. The original IS F had, among other things, wider body panels, six-pot front brake calipers with cross-drilled rotors, and a Torsen LSD. By not calling an IS F, Lexus could be lowering expectations for enthusiasts of the original who would expect those performance features. Or, if the V8 gods are listening, perhaps Lexus is saving the true F badge for an IS with the rumored twin-turbo powering the LC F. One can hope, right? Related Video:

Lexus bringing new F model to Detroit

Lexus has taken aim squarely at the likes of Mercedes-AMG and BMW M GmbH with its F line of performance models like the old IS F and the new RC F – and now it's preparing to showcase another one at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show. There's little information to go on from the brief statement accompanying these two teaser images, but the Japanese automaker refers to its as "a track-ready" model. Could that mean a more extreme version of the RC F? Possibly, but the headlights are different – just like the units on the LF-C2 concept were different as well. It could just as easily be a concept for a new GS or LS sedan in F spec, even a reboot of the CT hybrid hatchback, or maybe a showcar of another nature altogether. Whatever it is, it looks enticing, what with the carbon fiber bits, low-profile rubber, lightweight alloys and oversized brakes. As for what form it'll take, we'll find out sooner or later, so watch this space. A Track-Ready Lexus Poised to Make Global Debut at 2015 NAIAS New Model Will Broaden the Lexus Brand's High Performance Showroom TORRANCE, Calif. – Dec. 17, 2014 – Lexus announced it will be adding a second vehicle to its growing stable of F brand high performance models. Earlier this year, the luxury manufacturer launched the RC F, a V8 powered performance coupe. The newest Lexus F brand vehicle will make its global premiere at the 2015 North American International Auto Show on Jan. 13.