Black ’n’ Blue: Lexus GS F and RC F 10th-Anniversary Specials

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Lexus can’t lean on motorsports heritage to sell its F-branded performance cars, but now that 10 years have passed since the first one went on sale, it is marking the occasion with RC F and GS F anniversary editions. Consider them a tribute to naturally aspirated V-8s and rear-wheel drive.

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The matte-gray RC F and GS F pictured here will be sold as the F 10th Anniversary in Japan and limited to 500 total, and they celebrate all the big-bore, fat-tired Lexus models since the first IS F launched in 2007. That compact sedan surprised everyone, and despite never seriously challenging the BMW M3 or Mercedes C63 AMG during its seven-year model run, the IS F proved Lexus could unbutton its collar and cut loose.

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The GS F comes with gloss-black wheels, blue brake calipers, and a carbon-fiber body kit (rear valance, decklid, and chin spoiler). Inside, Lexus chose a blueberry Toaster Strudel theme: the blue leather seats feature a thick, white stripe, while the blue steering wheel’s 12-o’clock rim marking also is white. More blue leather adorns the shifter, the dash pad, and the rear-seat headrests and bolsters. The seatbelts are blue, as is the microsuede that wraps the instrument panel. That same material (in black) covers the armrests and a mesmerizing headliner, which has a similar origami-inspired pattern to the one found in the 2018 LS.

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The RC F largely follows suit, although its mix of matte-painted and glossy carbon-fiber panels gives it a cobbled-together appearance. The limited-edition coupe keeps the blue, white, and black colors inside, but unlike in the GS F, the rear seat and associated seatbelts are entirely black. Both RC F and GS F models receive their own blue woven-carbon-fiber trim patterns.

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While there are no engine mods to either car, Lexus fits upgraded dampers and a titanium exhaust that should render the company’s synthetic Active Sound Control superfluous. When we last tested a GS F, we turned off that feature and let the 467-hp 5.0-liter V-8 sing to the 7300-rpm redline as its Yamaha engineers intended.

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Toyota’s Gazoo Racing Working on Street Cars, Including Supra and New Lexus GS F

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Instrumented Test: 2016 Lexus GS F

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Instrumented Test: 2015 Lexus RC F

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Lexus hasn’t said whether it will import any of the anniversary cars to the United States. But with the industry shifting to turbochargers and all-wheel drive, the real concern is that high-revving F models like these are unlikely to survive the next 10 years.

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