The limited-edition Lexus LC Inspiration will be available next spring. Just 200 will be sold.
Automakers draw from a variety of sources for inspiration when it comes to the SEMA show in Las Vegas and Lexus is borrowing from Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” with its 2018 LC Inspiration Series production car and a Black Panther Inspired LC concept coupe.
Marvel’s latest character-based film, Black Panther, features the title character driving a 2018 Lexus LC 500 so borrowing from that for some high-powered fun for SEMA only seems to make sense.
The brand starts with the limited-edition 2018 Lexus LC Inspiration Series features an exclusive deeply saturated, iridescent Structural Blue color. It will be the first iteration in a series of vehicles created for each flagship model.
“The Inspiration Series takes our flagship products and makes them even more exclusive and distinguished,” said Brian Bolain, general manager, Lexus marketing. “Our collaboration with Marvel Studios’ ‘Black Panther’ features a technologically advanced blue LC and was the perfect inspiration for the first car in the Series.”
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Lexus believes the Inspiration Series celebrates “the attributes of sophistication, performance and innovation embodied by the Black Panther character, King T’Challa, and his home country of Wakanda.” Only 100 will be sold and it uses a first-of-its-kind paint technique called Structural Blue.
The Black Panther-inspired LC concept coupe boasts a variety of features that every Marvel hero needs.
Inspired by the morpho butterfly, according to Lexus, the paint is developed through an eight-month process. The paint contains no blue pigment, instead reflecting blue light through its unique construction, making the car appear as if it is in motion even when parked.
In addition to the one-of-a-kind color, the car features a unique carbon fiber scuff plate, bespoke white interior, 21-inch forged alloy wheels and a signature Barneys sommelier set, a limited-edition collection of barware inspired by the vehicle’s elegant design, according to Lexus.
No pricing information was revealed, but will be prior to going on sale next spring.
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The Black Panther Inspired LC concept takes the Inspiration Series a step further and is “a celebration of the Black Panther and Wakanda itself—complete with a powertrain that gets an extra boost from vibranium, the mythical ore found only in the Black Panther’s home of Wakanda,” says Lexus.
Fit for a Super Hero who is also a king, this vehicle is part Lexus Takumi craftsmanship, part Wakandan vibranium engineering and all badass, the bulletproof concept includes:
- Pulsating underbody glow
- Side-view mirror design based on a panther’s claw with instinctual positioning technology to align with driver’s eyeline
- Black Panther mask inlay on hood with vibranium-powered core indicator nodes
- Vibranium-infused self-healing paint treatment
- System controlled by unique Wakandan B-CPU (Brain/Computer Interface) creating a symbiotic relationship between the vehicle and its driver
- Remote Pilot Kimoyo Bead Interface allows the Black Panther Inspired LC to be driven remotely from control stations within Birnin Zana
“This is what it’s all about,” said Mindy Hamilton, Marvel’s senior vice president of global partnerships and marketing. “We’re bringing our two worlds together by letting our imaginations run wild like there are no limits to what’s possible.
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“That’s what Black Panther and the nation of Wakanda represent in the film, and it’s been incredible to work with Lexus as we attempt to re-create that ideology here in our own corner of the universe.”