Hannah Ferguson Defines High Performance In Lexus LC500 Campaign By Nino Muñoz

Sexy women and fast cars are a cornerstone of America's testosterone-driven culture. Something tells me that Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue model Hannah Ferguson has her own masterful stiletto on the clutch, as Hannah sizzles in the new Lexus LC 500 campaign, lensed by Nino Muñoz . The industry critiques the car's performance:

Lexus has launched the car with a choice of powertrains. First off, there's the direct-injection V8 engine LC 500, which generates 471 hp (351 kW) from its 5.0 liters at a lofty 7,100 rpm and 398 lb-ft (540 Nm) of torque at 4,800 rpm.

There's variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust, and the latter is more out-there than any Lexus except the LFA. The pipes crackle like a muscle car's at startup, changing to a roar at high revs thanks in part to a pair of valves that open up immediately ahead of the muffler. It's a most un-Lexus-like gurgle, and it sounds glorious.

The V8's 10-speed automatic (which retains a conventional torque converter) gives a mighty throttle blip on downshifts and handles full-throttle upshifts in just 100 milliseconds. There's no pause or insulating layer through which driver inputs must penetrate; an LC 500 in a hurry drives quite unlike other Lexuses.

Zero to 60 mph should take 4.4 seconds, but the LC 500's straight line performance somehow managed to feel a little shy, as if laboring at altitude. The car's curb weight of 4,280 pounds (1,941 kg) certainly doesn't help here.

We're dizzy just reading the sexy measurements of his master of the universe car. Note that a hybrid version is available, but will probably only sell well in Europe. Now that America has cheap fuel and an anti-environmental president again, who needs to worry about Mother Nature.