Lexus RC F GT Concept to take on Pikes Peak

Lexus is returning to the historic Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this year with its exciting new RC F GT Concept race car.

The Lexus RC F GT Concept builds on the legacy of the IS F CCS-R that took on this legendary ‘Race to the Clouds’ back in 2013, and will compete in the production-based Time Attack class. Behind the wheel will be British driving ace, FIA GT world champion, 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and automotive media personality Justin Bell.

“With very little time behind the wheel, the RC F GT Concept has already proven fast and easy to drive, very much like the production models,” commented Bell. “We expect the race car will only pick up pace as we engage more testing, tuning and data acquisition on the mountain.”

As a focused race car with a high level of composite materials, the concept weighs over 360kg less than the production car. While it retains the original engine and transmission, its state of tune will be adjusted for competition.

The Lexus RC F GT Concept represents a pivotal component of the Lexus F brand motorsport initiative, alongside the global GT3 programme.

Just as the IS F CCS-R helped develop key powertrain components for the RC F, so the new concept will continue to elaborate on the F brand’s performance mission. It will nurture a performance engineering culture and allow Lexus engineers to experiment with prototype components, tuning ideas, settings and software development.

The 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb takes place on 28 June. The event runs on a highly demanding 12.42-mile and 156-turn course that begins at 2,862m and culminates at the 4,300m summit.

Lexus RC F GT Concept technical specifications:

Bonus images

All information is correct at the time of publishing.