2018 LC Inspiration Series and Black Panther | Image: Lexus
When a Super Hero is your muse, the results can be amazing. And Lexus is proving just that with two new vehicles inspired by Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther”—a 2018 LC Inspiration Series production car and a concept coupe dubbed the Black Panther Inspired LC.
During the recent Super Bowl LII broadcast on Sunday, February 4, Lexus debut the 60-second extended digital version of its Super Bowl Spot, which was created in partnership with Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated film “Black Panther,” which opened in U.S. theaters February 16. The spot, “Long Live the King,” pairs the flagship luxury performance sedan 2018 Lexus LS 500 F SPORT with Marvel’s dynamic Black Panther character, played by Chadwick Boseman.
2018 LC Inspiration Series | Image: Lexus
Lexus LC Inspiration Series
The limited-edition 2018 Lexus LC Inspiration Series features an exclusive deeply saturated, iridescent Structural Blue color. This vehicle is the first in a succession of Inspiration Series vehicles Lexus plans to create for each of its flagship models.
“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.”
Lexus Black Panther Inspired LC | Image: Lexus
Black Panther Inspired LC Concept Coupe
Separately, the Black Panther Inspired LC concept coupe 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.
Fit for a Super Hero who is also a king, the Black Panther Inspired LC is part Lexus Takumi craftsmanship, part Wakandan vibranium engineering and all badass.
“With this vehicle,” Bolain added, “we took the LC Inspiration Series vision one step further into a universe that defies reality.”
“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. 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.”
The first production vehicle in Lexus’ Inspiration Series is a limited-edition 2018 Lexus LC. With only 100 vehicles slated to be sold in the U.S., the Lexus LC Inspiration Series features a first-of-its-kind paint technique called Structural Blue. Inspired by the Morpho butterfly, the paint is developed through an eight-month process. While the paint contains no actual blue pigment, its unique construction reflects blue light and highlights the vehicle’s dynamic design and features to produce a compelling motion effect even when parked.
Lexus Black Panther Inspired LC | Image: Lexus
“Black Panther: Soul of a Machine” Custom Graphic Novel
Lexus and Marvel Custom Solutions also released the first four chapters of the graphic novel, “Black Panther: Soul of a Machine.” Envisioned by head writer Fabian Nicieza, the story teams Black Panther with the ultimate machine—the LC 500—as they work together to thwart Machinesmith’s villainous plans to infiltrate Wakanda’s systems. Contributors to the novel include Geoffrey Thorne and Chuck Brown.
