A report out of Japan claims that Toyota is canceling the development of its V8 engines, which may spell the end of the long-awaited Lexus LC F, at least with a twin-turbo eight-cylinder as was initially expected.
Toyota, like other car manufacturers, has been adversely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and this has reportedly prompted it to shift its focus to turbocharged V6 engines and electrified powertrains rather than continue to forge ahead with V8s.
Mag-X has broken the news, but did not provide many details. If the report is indeed true, this would mean the twin-turbocharged V8 that was being developed for the racing version of the Lexus LC for this year’s 24 Hours of Nurburgring has been canceled. Lexus had committed to offering this engine in future road cars and would have most likely debuted it in the LC F.
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In June, a separate report from Japan claimed that Lexus had decided to discontinue the LC F project due to the costs and manpower required to finish the car’s development and bring it to the market. The twin-turbo V8 was expected to displace 4.0 liters and could have easily pumped out in excess of 600 hp in road-going specification, making the LC F an absolute weapon.
At the time, it was claimed Toyota may have continued developing this engine and potentially used it for its large pickup trucks in North America. It was also alleged the LC 500’s 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 could make way for a detuned version of this 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. If the Mag-X report is to be believed, this will no longer be the case.
