Lexus Has Made Japan's Most Hardcore GT Racer And We Want It Now

The automaker just showed off its newest racer, which is set to compete in the Japanese Touring Series. The two cars have very little in common aside from a shared name and platform. For starters, the LC 500 GT has a new engine. The big V8 has been ditched in favor of a twin-turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine.

The engine spits out 600 horsepower, over 100 hp more than the V8 found in the production LC 500. Controlling all this action will be a sequential six-speed. In an effort to keep the car firmly planted to the track—and to make it look as badass as possible—Lexus has installed an extreme aero kit highlighted by a massive rear wing. That side-mounted exhaust is also extremely badass. While the LC 500 GT is designed solely for the race track we hope that it at least inspires the production model in some way. Lexus shouldn't ditch the V8 or shove exhaust pipes into the doors, but a toned down version of that aero kit seems doable. If anything this racer should serve as inspiration to tuning companies that are no doubt dying to give the LC 500 a makeover.