How determined is Lexus to their sparkle-motion RC F GT3 race car? Pretty determined. Currently, testing is underway to run a car in the FIA GT3 series and a to-be-determined series in the United States in 2016. Rejoice! We could finally see evidence of Lexus not being an utter snooze close to home.
Lexus has, admittedly, made some strides towards not being dull lately. The LFA was a symphony of winning, but far too rare and pricey for most mere mortals to ever touch. The IS F was pretty neat when it first debuted, but it's a bit long in the tooth and hasn't done much since to grab our attention. And now, there's the RC F, which...oh, there's a race car version? Well, now we're talking.
We first saw this car in early 2014, but it made another appearance at the Detroit Auto Show, where Automobile was able to nail down some key details:
We spoke with Yukihiko Yaguchi at the show and he said that the team is carefully watching the rules for each series in the USA before committing. He said the RC F GT3 would need some aero modifications but could be eligible for GTD class in the Tudor series, assuming the regulations don't change for 2016.
Thing is, regulations are changing for GTD in 2016. With Pirelli World Challenge fully embracing the FIA GT3 cars already and TUDOR United SportsCar making GT3 its GTD standard in 2016, there are a couple very strong, very recognizable sportscar series that should fight for the RC F GT3's debut.
As one of the many people who've criticized Lexus in the past for not giving me anything to be excited about, hearing that this car will run close to home is great news.
Photo Credit: Jalopnik