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2021 Lexus RC F Fuji Speedway Edition debuts, but only 60 will be built

This generation of the Lexus RC (launched as a 2015 model) can’t be long for the world, but itÂ’s coming back around for the 2021 model year with some fresh new gear. The biggest news is the introduction of the RC F Fuji Speedway Edition. ItÂ’s limited to just 60 units and takes after the RC F Track Edition that debuted last year. Just like the Track Edition, the Fuji Speedway Edition adds Brembo carbon ceramic brakes, a titanium exhaust and has gone through an extensive weight savings program that includes a big dose of carbon fiber. The hood, roof, wing, front spoiler, rear-seat partition and bumper reinforcement are all made of carbon fiber. All these weight savings help the 0-60 mph time fall to 3.96 seconds, down from the 4.2 seconds of the standard RC F. YouÂ’ll be able to tell itÂ’s the Fuji Speedway Edition by its exterior paint and interior colors. It only comes in Arctic Blast Satin or Cloudburst Gray. Lexus provided one photo of the car in Arctic Blast Satin, but weÂ’re not getting the full effect here. ItÂ’s a new semi-matte paint finish thatÂ’s debuting on this special edition car. The satin finish is similar to the matte paints weÂ’ve seen on Lexus cars previously, but now itÂ’s durable enough to be run through automatic car washes without issue. When we drove the GS F 10th Anniversary Edition (equipped with LexusÂ’ previous generation matte paint) last year, Lexus specifically told us that it canÂ’t be run through a car wash. With this RC F, you can skip the hand wash if you donÂ’t feel like it. Every Fuji Speedway Edition car will also come with a Circuit Red leather interior and Alcantara accents. Red carbon fiber trim is added to make the interior feel even more special. As a final touch, Lexus is including a limited production MSTR watch with each car. It has Fuji Speedway and F logos, and also features red stitching on its band to match the interior. Lexus has given the standard RC F a couple worthwhile upgrades, too. Android Auto is now in the picture, joining Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa. Additionally, Lexus has made blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic alert standard, alongside heated exterior mirrors and a memory driverÂ’s seat. Lexus also made parking sensors part of the Premium Package. Pricing is not yet available, but expect the Fuji Speedway Edition to come in around the $97,675 base price of the Track Edition. It might be even more considering the special paint Lexus added this year, too. Related video:

Lexus exploring PHEV, full EV and fuel cell versions of LS flagship

After four years of rumors about a Lexus LS powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, the chief engineer of the flagship sedan says the carmaker's working on even more options. Toshio Asahi told Australia's GoAuto that three alternative powertrains — plug-in hybrid, full electric, and hydrogen — are "all on the table" for consideration. Asahi wouldn't give any timeframes, but whenever they arrive, additional drive options would fill out the LS range to better contend with the Germans. Years of reports predicted this fifth-generation LS would get hydrogen power. A Motoring article at the end of 2014 forecast a fuel cell LS to arrive by 2017. In 2015 Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported that Lexus was considering a fuel cell option to arrive in 2020, around the time of the Tokyo Olympics. Later that year, at the Tokyo Motor Show, Lexus showed off the LF-FC concept, powered by a cell and stack arranged for "optimum front-rear weight distribution for a sporty saloon." GoAuto said that during that show, a Lexus executive said an FCEV powertrain would end up in production "sooner than you think." The following year, Autocar reported we'd see a production version of the LF-FC "on sale before 2020" as a replacement for the LS, and last year, Lexus trademarked the name "LF-FC Concept." The intel gets murkier regarding plug-in hybrid and full electric versions. We now know Lexus is working on a more powerful hybrid system. The current hybrid produces a total system 354 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque using the same 3.5-liter V6 in the standard car as a base, though the standard car adds two turbos for 415 hp and 442 lb-ft. The coming hybrid will likely use the twin-turbo setup and could achieve two important ends: Smoothing out noted issues of powertrain refinement, and at least matching the power specs of Mercedes-Benz and BMW flagship plug-in hybrids. That hybrid LS would still miss out on the all-electric driving of its rivals. If there really is an LF-FC coming in the next two years, it would seem a perfect time to retire the conventional hybrid and introduce a plug-in version embodying the velvet sophistication Lexus is known for. The battery electric LS is a big question mark outside of Lexus HQ. Last year Toyota announced a breakthrough in solid state battery technology, the carmaker announcing it wanted such batteries on the market by 2022.

Lexus finally announces all-new twin-turbo V8, will race the Nurburgring 24H

In March 2013, Motor Trend wrote about rumors of Lexus bolting two turbos onto the high-revving, atmospheric 5.0-liter V8 in the RC F, the new engine for eventual use in an LC F super coupe. We heard the rumor again from multiple directions in 2017, and again in 2018. At last, the rumor gets official confirmation as an aside in a Lexus press release about taking the Gazoo Racing LC race car to the Nurburgring 24-hour for a third time next year. After two years of "unavoidable hours in the pit to resolve issues" with the LC in 2018 and 2019, the luxury carmaker said that next year it "[aims] to complete the race without any trouble by adopting a variety of new technologies, including a newly-developed V8 twin-turbo engine destined for use on future road cars such as sports cars." That's all we know for certain about what's coming. Predictions supposed Lexus has paired two of its 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engines with a 90-degree angle to create the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. Estimates over the years guessed output as anywhere from 600 metric horsepower, 592 of our U.S. customary horses, to 620 hp, to 660 hp. The guesstimate torque figure comes in at "up to 506 pound-feet," arrived at by a Japanese magazine that figured Lexus was trying to outdo the Nissan GT-R. What's safe to say is that the engine – created with an emphasis on performance – will outdo the 471 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque from the Yamaha-developed, naturally-aspirated V8 currently powering the LC 500 flagship. The new engine might not outdo the 7,300-rpm redline. Since the press release mentioned "sports cars," plural, there's every right to expect the hi-po power plant to migrate to other offerings. In the press, the engine's been mooted for everything from the RC F and new GS F to an LS F and a super-potent SUV inspired by the LF-1 Limitless concept that would take on the Lamborghini Urus. Further changes to the LC F accompanying the new motor could include a great deal more carbon fiber, about 200 pounds trimmed from the curb weight, a stiffer structure, a "low-weight and high-rigidity suspension," and more refined software systems for tech like driver aids, traction control, and anti-lock braking.  Lexus will take the start line at next yearÂ’s Nurburgring 24-Hour weekend from May 21-24 in the SP-Pro class. Related Video: