Lexus Brings Inspiration Series for ’24 LC 500

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

While there is value in writing about a luxurious two-door coupe planned for very limited production, we’re really just taking this news as an opportunity to run a photo of the perpetually gob-smacking Lexus LC 500.


As my father would say: “That’s a proper car.”

And he’s right. You’re looking at a low-slung two-door beast over 187 inches long, weighing almost 4,400 pounds, and powered by a 5.0-liter V8 engine good for 471 horsepower. Acceleration to 60 mph from rest takes a reported 4.4 seconds, though this thing’s sumptuous interior guarantees luxurious comfort for far longer than that amount of time. It’s like an ultra-modern take on this writer’s sorely missed Lincoln Mark VII, though without all the rust holes.

Lexus says the Inspiration Series sets itself apart with those front bumper canards and a carbon fiber fixed rear wing spoiler that’s exclusive to hardtop variants. Yes, the Inspiration Series trim will be available on the convertible, as well. Also on board is a Torsen limited-slip differential and performance dampers out back which are said to improve handling responses. Hardtop versions adopt the convertible’s underfloor braces while also adding a carbon fiber roof. It is reasonable to think those two items will roughly cancel each other out in terms of added and removed weight.

Yer tee time buddies will have not seen this particular color combination before, showing up as a combination of Polar Surge Satin paint and Deep Blue upholstery. The convertible gets a blue ragtop if you’re wondering. That exterior finish is of the matte variety, so be certain the valet parks this thing in a good spot. Black finishes are obvious on items like the side mirrors, front grille surround, and 21-inch wheels. There’s a smattering of carbon fiber type material in the cabin, plus a serialized number plate.


The 2024 LC 500 Inspiration Series is expected to arrive in dealerships early this autumn with 125 units available in North America.


[Image: Lexus]


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Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

More by Matthew Guy

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  • SPPPP SPPPP on Aug 16, 2023

    “That’s a proper car.” - Precisely! I want one of these, but convertible, please!

  • Kcflyer Kcflyer on Aug 16, 2023

    If only I could trade that spare kidney for one. As Mike said, in red.

  • Tassos Under incompetent, affirmative action hire Mary Barra, GM has been shooting itself in the foot on a daily basis.Whether the Malibu cancellation has been one of these shootings is NOT obvious at all.GM should be run as a PROFITABLE BUSINESS and NOT as an outfit that satisfies everybody and his mother in law's pet preferences.IF the Malibu was UNPROFITABLE, it SHOULD be canceled.More generally, if its SEGMENT is Unprofitable, and HALF the makers cancel their midsize sedans, not only will it lead to the SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST ones, but the survivors will obviously be more profitable if the LOSERS were kept being produced and the SMALL PIE of midsize sedans would yield slim pickings for every participant.SO NO, I APPROVE of the demise of the unprofitable Malibu, and hope Nissan does the same to the Altima, Hyundai with the SOnata, Mazda with the Mazda 6, and as many others as it takes to make the REMAINING players, like the Excellent, sporty Accord and the Bulletproof Reliable, cheap to maintain CAMRY, more profitable and affordable.
  • GregLocock Car companies can only really sell cars that people who are new car buyers will pay a profitable price for. As it turns out fewer and fewer new car buyers want sedans. Large sedans can be nice to drive, certainly, but the number of new car buyers (the only ones that matter in this discussion) are prepared to sacrifice steering and handling for more obvious things like passenger and cargo space, or even some attempt at off roading. We know US new car buyers don't really care about handling because they fell for FWD in large cars.
  • Slavuta Why is everybody sweating? Like sedans? - go buy one. Better - 2. Let CRV/RAV rust on the dealer lot. I have 3 sedans on the driveway. My neighbor - 2. Neighbors on each of our other side - 8 SUVs.
  • Theflyersfan With sedans, especially, I wonder how many of those sales are to rental fleets. With the exception of the Civic and Accord, there are still rows of sedans mixed in with the RAV4s at every airport rental lot. I doubt the breakdown in sales is publicly published, so who knows... GM isn't out of the sedan business - Cadillac exists and I can't believe I'm typing this but they are actually decent - and I think they are making a huge mistake, especially if there's an extended oil price hike (cough...Iran...cough) and people want smaller and hybrids. But if one is only tied to the quarterly shareholder reports and not trends and the big picture, bad decisions like this get made.
  • Wjtinfwb Not proud of what Stellantis is rolling out?
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