£35k Lexus LC500 | Spotted

Earlier this year, Lexus pulled the plug on both the LC and the RC F in the UK. While it was completely understandable from a business perspective – both were old, neither sold in great numbers, and probably the optics weren’t great with 5.0 V8s alongside hybrids – it has left the UK lineup seeming about as interesting as a quarterly business review. If you know your NX from your RZ and the engines in an ES, then bravo. We didn’t. 

Anyway, the demise of anything always makes it more interesting, and it helps our case that all the 5.0-litre V8 Lexuses were noteworthy from the get go. The old IS F saloon was a solid first stab at a proper sports saloon, the RC F usefully improved on it as an M4 rival, and the GS F demonstrated that a supersaloon didn’t need more than 600hp to be, well, super. If you can find one, they all make really good alternatives to the usual German fodder. 

Then there was the jaw-dropping, spectacular LC. Lexus attempted to associate it with the rest of the range with a 3.5-litre V6 hybrid, but the real star of the range boasted the F-spec, 478hp V8. It looked astonishing at launch, and still does; it’s one of those rare big GTs that looks just as good as a convertible as a coupe, too. The interior had some tangible (and very cool) LFA influences, which helped distract you from the fiddly bits. Every single bit of the inside felt very, very expensive indeed. Many cars these days don’t really feel worth what’s asked for them – the LC always did. 

Which makes this one all the more intriguing. Because it still looks like it’s driven straight off a motor show stand, complete with Naples Yellow paint, yet is now seven years and 80,000 miles old. Seriously. Looking at the pics, only a frequently thumbed start button gives any clue to the healthy total accrued. Scratches, blemishes and wear are noticeable really by their absence, and certainly none of the LC’s impact has been lost. Which, actually, the rarity will have helped. A full Lexus service history is good to see as well.  

Amazingly, this is a Lexus that’s failed an MOT, but it seems hard to blame the car for a negligent owner letting the tyres get low. We can probably let it off a blocked pair of washer jets. And in a very fortunate coincidence, the MOT is due now, so might potentially be used as a bartering tool. While a very cool car, a yellow LC500 isn’t likely to have prospective buyers queuing around the block. 

Still won’t be a perfect GT, either, with a slightly restless ride plus an odd combination of long gears and relatively little torque that meant the LC never felt as fast as hoped. That being said, it’s a lot easier to overlook qualms at £35k, which is what this 500 is for sale at before negotiation. There’ll still be a little way to fall if previous expensive Lexuses are anything to go by, but the bulk of it is done given the c. £90k RRP. And whatever an LC is worth, it’ll always look a million dollars – expect to feel likewise driving one.

Engine: 4,969cc, V8, naturally aspirated
Transmission: 10-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 478@7,100rpm
Torque (lb ft): 398@4,800rpm
CO2: 267g/km
MPG: 24.4
Recorded mileage: 80,000
Year registered: 2017
Price new: £85,895 (standard, 2017)
Yours for: £35,990