At fi rst glance, it strikes me that the Lexus LC 500
is clearly a beast, waiting to be unleashed upon the road.One thing that sets the LC 500 apart from any other
car I’ve driven is its almost surreal connection to the
driver. I don’t sit in an LC 500; I get immersed in it. I’m
impressed beyond words, by how this exquisite machine
has been engineered for – somehow bespoke – tailored to- the driver. I feel as close to this engine as a jockey to a
thoroughbred. Just, much more comfortably so.
Deep, lush leather seats, contoured shifter, an elliptical
steering wheel – this keeps getting better...One of the most surprising and memorable aspects of the
LC 500 driving experience is the sound – the beautiful
noise, the car’s roar. One touch of the engine start button
and a symphony begins – its engine note sounds part
Beethoven, part Hendrix.This is not digitally fi ltered amplifi cation. It’s organic.I’ve heard overenthusiastic enthusiasts talk about being
behind the wheel of a high-performance car as being in
the cockpit of a fi ghter jet, but so far as I know – there isn’t
an aircraft on Earth that is this wild, this elegant, this
much pure, unadulterated fun to drive. If there was an
ejector seat on the LC 500 – I would never use it.I fl ash out onto the road and conduct the direct-drive
V8 orchestra into its next 10 movements – I mean gears.
You heard it right, the LC 500 has 10 gears. The action is
conducive to musical rhythm. Each transition is smooth,
resonant and perfectly natural. I’m still new to this sports
car, but it doesn’t require the usual learning curve. Second
is as easy to attain as third as is fourth as is... Hey, I’d
better watch my speed ’til I’m on the open highway.The widescreen visibility and my sense of the car’s snug
position on the road continues this unique experience of
driving an LC 500. As I make my way down the state road,I execute some deft – if I do say so – passing maneuvers;
but I have zero worries about the LC 500’s ability to shoot
a gap.I take a sharp right turn, then a left, and another right,
and the LC 500 hugs the road like a lover. That’s not
exaggeration, it’s an understatement.On the interstate access road, I bank sharply left,
avoiding a delivery truck that somehow forgot to signal
that it wanted to turn in front of me. I marvel at how
effortlessly the LC 500 sidesteps potential danger, or even
inconvenience. Also, how so many drivers I pass turn their
heads and gawk. Seriously, nearly everyone stares at this
dream masquerading as a car.It’s an adrenaline rush watching the rest of life trying
to keep up in the rearview mirror.On the ramp to Interstate 95, I punch the accelerator
and seamlessly transition into seventh. Minutes later,
as I slide right for the airport exit, I note the driver
I just passed, apparently mesmerized by my afterburner-
inspired infi nity tail-lights.Suddenly, I realize – I am so not looking forward to this
plane ride. A seductive notion occurs. I was going to write
on the plane, but I’m ahead on all my work. Including,
now, this review. What’s it to Miami? Seven hours in a
conventional automobile? But the LC 500 is no conventional
automobile.I might even take the scenic route. Maybe I can fi nd some
tunnels to further amplify the engine’s growl.What an astonishing ride, what a sports car, how
intoxicating life becomes when you’re behind the wheel of
an LC 500.I think I just experienced amazing.EXPERIENCE AMAZING
To launch the Lexus LC 500,
we asked the world’s # 1
best-selling author to review it.
As experienced by JAMES PATTERSONTHE 500
LC