Lexus will enter the international GT series in North America and Japan before the end of January with this: the RC F GT3.
It has been an exciting time for GT3 racing, following Ford’s return to Le Mans in a GT, Lamborghini fielding its first factory GT3 car and even an effort from Bentley, so this activity from Lexus is another welcome development.
Based on the 470bhp RC F performance coupe, the competition car has been modified and engineered to compete in the GT3 category races worldwide and it will make its race debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona on January 29th.
In the US, it will compete in the GTD class of IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship with 3GT Racing, while in Japan, it will contest the Super GT GT300 class with LMcorsa.
It could come to Europe…
There’s been no confirmation on European racing so far, but it certainly looks on the cards, following comments from Koei Saga, chief officer and technical director of Toyota Gazoo Racing.
He revealed: “The first step is to place four cars in races in the USA and Japan, but in the future, we will nurture our RC F GT3 into a model that is loved by customers worldwide.
“The Lexus RC F GT3 in the GT3 category represents the highest level of customer racing.”
…and a Lexus showroom near you soon
We don’t have any hard figures on this competition car right now, but as the production flagship RC F can smash it to 62mph in 4.6 seconds, this cranked-up version can only be more breathtaking.
A road-legal version of the RC F GT3 is currently being worked out and while it won’t be quite as dramatic, in terms of performance and exterior design, that doesn’t mean we’re not excited to see it.
We wait with bated breath, Lexus…
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