The personal-reward car was once a staple of American driveways and country clubs: Coupes or convertibles, with bounteous V8 power, fragrant leather interiors (with two or two-plus-two seating) and not a care in the world for practicality. 

These days, the silver-haired gents and smartly dressed ladies are driving Range Rovers and other SUVs. Cars like the Lexus LC 500 or Mercedes SL-Class are on the outs: Lexus found just 1,324 customers for its flagship coupe in all of 2020, despite knee-wobbling styling and a beefy, 471-horsepower V8. That slow drip of buyers, actually up by about 100 cars over 2019, represents half the LC 500’s sales in its inaugural year of 2017. 

 Lexus LC 500 still has the power to stun, now in convertible form.  Lexus

Rather than fly a flag of surrender from its priciest yacht, Lexus is raising (and lowering) a new fabric top: Press a button beneath a leather-lidded console top, and the LC 500 convertible unfurls its complicated roof in 16 seconds while driving at speeds of up to 31 mph. All the better to admire the LC 500’s interior: An artistic assemblage of unblemished leather (“toasted caramel” being our favorite of three available colors), banked panels and tricky radiuses that recall a Tokyo jewelry boutique for a special clientele. 

The LC lineup starts with the $94,075 LC 500 coupe; opting for the hybrid LC500H is a $4,560 upgrade that brings the MSRP to $98,635. The LC 500 convertible tops the range at $102,025. (All prices include a $1,025 destination fee.)

“Special” will indeed describe the owner of the LC 500, considering the increasingly rare sight of a six-figure, relaxed-fit coupe and convertible. While the ragtop version isn’t as purely stunning as the coupe—which still resembles a concept car that got lost en route to the revolving stage—onlookers reliably gathered whenever I opened the hydraulically operated top, with four layers of cloth and sound deadening. 21-inch alloy wheels (a $2,650 option on all three models) added more visual pop. Lexus says it tripled its usual number of torture tests to ensure reliability and quiet operation for the roof. 

Based on the 2012 LF-LC concept vehicle, the LC made it to production with minimal changes to the exotic surface treatments and shapes. Lexus

The LC500 exterior is dramatic with the alluringly stretched hood, the drama-queen grille and the steeply raked backlight, but the convertible kicks up the rear profile to ensure a soothing top-down experience. 

On a 350-mile round trip from New York to New England, the Lexus’ steering wheel quivered slightly over the worst pavement obstacles. But for the most part, this LC500 Convertible felt nearly as tight as the coupe, with Lexus paying special attention to structural rigidity: New gussets secure the bottoms of roof pillars. Suspension tower braces include die-cast aluminum units to save weight at the rear. The entire lineup gets a reworked suspension that reduces unsprung weight upfront, with unique tuning for the selectable, adaptive variable suspension that can adjust to 650 levels of damping force. 

The convertible’s raised beltline looks mildly awkward when the top is lowered. But the shape, along with a clear wind deflector, helped deliver a pleasingly calm cabin at highway speeds. Mercedes-style neck heaters blow toasty air from headrests, and the “Climate Concierge” automatically manages the A/C and heaters for the neck, seats, and steering wheel when the top is lowered. Even the 13-speaker, 915-watt Mark Levinson audio system (part of a $5,290 Touring Package, along with Climate Concierge) gets in on the act, adjusting EQ levels for open-air entertainment. 

The LC 500’s 5.0-liter naturally-aspirated V8 engine provides 471 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque. Lexus

The Lexus’ hottest soundtrack, however, is the chesty, baritone roar of its 471-horsepower, 5.0-liter, V8. There’s a brief lull before the naturally aspirated engine hits its stride, at which point the LC 500 surges ahead like a speedboat on a placid lake. It’s a fine motor, cognac-smooth and expensive-sounding. The zero to 60 mph run takes about 4.4 seconds (4.7 for the hybrid). That’s not Porsche 911 or Corvette fast, but it’s more than enough to dispatch lesser cars with a gentle squeeze of the throttle. The LC500H hybrid relies on a naturally-aspirated 3.5-liter V6 and a pair of electric motor/generators to produce a combined 354 horsepower.

A 10-speed, paddle-shifted automatic transmission makes the most of the power and helps boost efficiency. The EPA credits the LC with just 25 highway mpg, but in our evaluation, the Lexus returned closer to 30 mpg when driven in ninth and 10th gear at an even 70 mph. 

Ride quality is outstanding, even in the Sport + mode that’s selected via Lexus’ mildly odd, Frankenstein-bolt gizmo that protrudes from the driver’s instrument binnacle. The Lexus isn’t meant to be a hardcore sports car, but rather a luxury Grand Tourer: Steering is light yet trusty, the body controlled and confident in any situation. A Torsen limited-slip differential, a must-have option for a mere $460, helps the rear-drive Lexus lay down power in curves or on slippery surfaces without losing tire grip. 

A six-figure flagship convertible deserves a flagship interior, here in snowy white. Detailing crew optional. Lexus

The operative mode here is “sophistication,” the LC’s every move underlining its top-dog status in Lexus showrooms. The LC shined especially on long drives, where its cosseting seats, graveyard-quiet cabin, sumptuous ride and deep reserves of power made it an ideal wingman. Rear jump seats are primarily useless for humans but great for designer shopping bags or gear. Rich materials include magnesium paddle shifters and aluminum for the foot pedals and door sill plates. A CD slot in the dashboard may sum up the Lexus’ vintage-loafers approach to driving; the car might as well come with a curated selection of Steely Dan, America and other yacht-rock discs to match its easygoing personality. 

Only one thing breaks the mellow vibe: Lexus’ ever-infuriating infotainment system, with its wonky trackpad console controller that still dares one to perform the simplest operations without taking eyes off the road, or having the screen cursor hop around and mistakenly land on functions you weren’t asking for. Even Lexus’ latest 10.3-inch touchscreen can’t overcome the poor, if not downright hazardous design of this human-machine interface. At least Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are on board, along with Amazon Alexa commands for infotainment. 

All told, the LC 500 Convertible we sampled rang the register at $111,920, with the addition of the touring package, 21-inch wheels, head-up display and a few other goodies. That’s one expensive Lexus. But the select few who still favor a rear-drive, grand-touring coupe or convertible will feel they got their money’s worth—especially when passersby fawn over the rare sight of an LC 500.