'Designed by committee' used to be a term of derision in the automotive industry, often spawning dull cars without the singularity and purity of purpose of vehicles worked upon by small teams. Call it 'crowdsourcing' though, and suddenly the input of thousands of people is the fashionable thing to do.
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Crowdsourcing is exactly what Lexus is doing with its 2015 RC F performance coupe, though thankfully the car's engineering will remain in Lexus' hands alone. Instead, it's up to the public, specifically fans of the brand on Facebook, to choose the name of a new vibrant orange color used on the car. The orange pearlescent shade will no doubt be widely used throughout the car's promotional rounds, and has already attracted dozens of suggestions--from likely candidates 'Tangerine Flame' and 'Solar Flare', to the predictable 'Orange' and the must-try-harder 'Blue'...
The RC F will go some way to filling the gap left by the LF A, when it goes on sale in early 2015. Power comes from a 5.0-liter V-8, producing more than 450 horsepower and 383 pounds-feet of torque. Top speeds will approach 170 mph, and acceleration should beat that of the old IS F. Despite this, Lexus has offered concessions to economy too--at a cruise, the engine will switch to an Atkinson combustion cycle to maximize efficiency, switching back to the Otto cycle when power is required.
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That's a novel touch in the sector, but Lexus' fan-based color choosing is less original--Mercedes-Benz used Facebook fans to select a name for its eye-searing yellow paintwork, as worn by the SLS AMG Electric Drive and SLS Black Series. Fans opted for 'AMG Afterglow' in the end, narrowly edging out 'Lime Light'.
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