Lexus LC 500 Convertible 2020 UK first drive

The Lexus Lexus LC ‘concept car made real’ has been refreshed for 2020 and is now offered as a Porsche 911 Cabrio rival with a folding canvas roof. It's expected to prove more popular than the elegant fixed-head coupe has been so far.

This also happens to be the first Lexus ever to use a folding soft-top, because in the past both the IS and SC both had heavy origami hard-tops, which did the handling no favours at all. 

The basic 2+2 layout is the same as that of the coupé introduced in 2017, with a naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8 putting out an unchanged 457bhp driving the rear wheels alone. The less powerful 3.5-litre V6 hybrid motor available in the coupe won't be making an appearance here. We know from prior experience that the big, titanium-valved V8 is as soulful as they come, but recently the hybrid has proved more popular.

In the case of Sport+ specification tested here (add £5850 to the £90,775 base price of the V8), Lexus fits a Torsen rear differential to aid the Michelin Super Sport tyres, which replace the unloved old run-flats but are wrapped around the same unmissable 21in forged alloys. Basic models forego the LSD and use brake-based torque-vectoring instead, as well as wearing 20in wheels.

The Sport+ pack also brings neck-warmers integrated into the heavily bolstered seats, but what the coupe gets in Sport+ trim that the convertible doesn't – because of the space required for the roof when stowed away – is rear-wheel steering.

Downstream of the engine, the torque-converter transmission still has no fewer than 10 speeds – which still feels like at least two too many – but the multi-link suspension has been lightened with more generous use of aluminium.

Lexus has also increased the stroke of the front damper units in an attempt to relieve some of the brittleness of original coupé although, equally, a stiffer rear anti-roll bar is used to improve turn-in response. Further tweaks have been made to the brake setup and the variable EPAS.  

The roof mechanism itself is reasonably quick (though not as fast-acting as that of the new Aston Vantage Roadster) and operates at road-speeds of up to 30mph. The toggleswitch that controls the mechanism is then neatly hidden beneath a leather-clad flap on the transmission tunnel. The LC's cabin is otherwise unchanged, and keeps the tiny rear seats, which are more useful for luggage than humans.