Lexus files for LC F trademark, high power hero coupe draws nearer

THE Lexus LC 500 and LC 500h have only just hit the streets overseas, but it appears that plans for an amped-up, performance-focused version of the sleek LC coupe are already afoot.

Lexus has submitted a trademark application for the name “LC F” this week, the first solid proof that the Japanese luxury automaker intends to take its newest – and most attractive – product down the same path as the RC F, GS F and dearly departed IS F. For those wondering why we’re so concerned with Lexus’ F suffix, think of it in the same way that you would an AMG, M or RS badge – it means serious performance.

Filed with the European Union’s Intellectual Property Office, Lexus’ trademark application for the LC F name was submitted just three days ago.

If previous trademark applications made by the Japanese automaker are any indication, it means we’re at least a year away from seeing the Lexus LC F officially break cover. The trademark application for the RC F V8 coupe, for example, was filed in late 2012, around a year before its first public appearance at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show.

But what of the all-important question: which donk will Lexus slip between the LC’s suspension towers? In the GS F and RC F, Lexus’ Yamaha-tuned 5.0-litre bent eight makes a stout 351kW and 530Nm. Given the same engine already sees service in the LC 500 in near-identical trim (peak torque is 540Nm), an LC F flagship will have to employ something with a little more firepower.

Could we see the triumphant return of the Lexus LFA’s dragon-slaying 412kW 4.8-litre V10? That engine was incredibly bespoke, and was connected to a rear-mounted transaxle via a torque tube rather than the more conventional engine-gearbox-tailshaft configuration used by the LC 500. It only generated 480Nm of torque as well, well down on the atmo V8’s number. A V10 seems unlikely, sadly.

An electrically-assisted V8 hybrid is within the realm of possibility though, given the GA-L platform that sits under the LC is designed to accommodate both a V8 and a high-voltage battery pack. The V6-engined LC 500h hybrid may be comparatively snoozy, but manufacturers like Porsche, McLaren and Ferrari have shown there’s plenty of performance potential in a hybrid setup. Lexus may be inclined to think the same way.

Whatever it chooses, Lexus will need a powertrain with substantial muscle if it is to challenge the likes of the 911 Carrera S and Jaguar F-Type SVR – the LC F’s two most likely competitors.