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  • What’s the Point of the 2021 Lexus LC Convertible?

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    For most people, a car is all about taking care of the family or covering the daily commute.   The 2021 Lexus LC Convertible is not one of those rides. It doesn’t intend to serve a purpose.

    If a fashion designer and a free spirit got together to design a car, this is it. The LC coupe is car enough for any enthusiast, whether they love luxury, sport or performance. Obviously, the convertible takes that fun and style even further.

    2021 Lexus LC Convertible 2

    Another reviewer called it a minicompact. That’s a polite term for tiny. No family would want to take this car on a long trip. It has a cramped backseat and a tiny trunk.  Four people could fit, but they’d never get their luggage into the car.

    Lexus is usually known for the brand’s deals on cars, but in this case, the $100,000-plus pricetag is watertight.  If the shopper can spring for a $1500 a month lease or loan, they will forget all about that.  This car is a show-stopper. At this price, it ought to be handsome, but the Lexus LC Convertible exceeds expectations.

    2021 Lexus LC Convertible 5

    Clearly Lexus knows it must compete with Porsche and Mercedes-Benz to attract shoppers. To do that, the designers achieved a distinctive look with a serious Aston Martin vibe.  Every inch mimics motion. An hourglass grille, a sweeping roofline, and tapered body form a rich tableau.  When the top is dropped, the wow factor just increases.

    Small and maneuverable, the Lexus LC has a 471-horsepower engine.  The convertible makes the occupants feel like they are flying.  The driver can make a show of it with a tap of the accelerator.  The torque rate is 398 pound-feet.  Clearly this is a driver’s car, and it intends to compete with Audi and other performance cars.

    2021 Lexus LC Convertible 4

    While most Lexus are fuel sippers, this one makes no pretense about it.  The LC thrives on premium unleaded for its thirsty V8 engine. If that worries the buyer, they can always opt for the much less thirsty, LC 500h coupe. This hybrid still has the good looks, but it is much leaner, cleaner and greener.

    Drivers have the fun of rear-wheel drive and all of that power to make every ride more exciting. It might make a run to the store more interesting.   Of course, the owner of this car isn’t likely to do their own shopping.

    The thrill of owning this car certainly goes beyond the good looks and the performance. The interior is rich in leather and top quality materials.  Every inch is either high tech or designed with high tech.

    2021 Lexus LC Convertible Interior 5

    Lexus even has automatic driver assistance on board to keep the car out of an accident.  The most serious driving enthusiasts may resent a little help with blind spot monitoring or emergency braking. They may enjoy a little lane drift.  Yet this is the future, and the car definitely represents the best of today’s automated features.

    Perhaps the purpose of the 2021 Lexus LC Convertible is to simply exist.  Beautiful and fast, there’s little to stand in its way.  Owners will have to seek the open road just to open this car up and see what it can do.

    Lexus LC 500 Convertible Photo Gallery


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  • Interview: BMW Performance Center

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    Lessons from Pros on Car Control

    BMW dares you to “Drive on the edge of physics.” Who can resist the chance to drive, corner, and stop faster than you possibly ever have, all with expert instruction from professional drivers? Sorry, rhetorical.

    BMW Performance Center West

    It all comes down to mastering the hardware

    Clean Fleet Report recently spent a day at the BMW Performance Center in Thermal, California (there is also a center in Spartanburg, South Carolina) and were treated to a day of fast acceleration, hard stopping, and aggressive cornering, with the overall goal of improving our ability to control a car. Think you have mastered driving under all conditions and circumstances? Take any of the courses offered at the BMW Performance Center and learn what you don’t know, but thought you did know.

    Clean Fleet Report is a big fan of driving schools and track days where everyone can learn how to become a better driver. We headed out to the Coachella Valley to take the car control school program, which covered panic braking, double lane change, handling and cornering and the skid pad. At the end of the day you will be gassed, as doing all of these at the best of your ability is exhausting. But in a good way.

    BMW Performance Center West

    Distance learning was practiced

    The day began with lead instructor Bryan Randall leading a classroom session where we covered such topics as proper vision, seating position, steering technique, brake dynamics and cornering. Bryan noted that while we would be doing all these driving elements on closed courses, everything we would be taught is fully applicable to everyday driving. This, of course, meant at the end of the day we were not to go out on the freeway and drive like a bat out of hell, but to take what we learned and apply it to become smoother, better, more efficient and more courteous drivers, while at the same time use the techniques we learned to maneuver through emergency situations.

    During the lunch break, Bryan Randall and I sat down for a quick round of questions that focused on the philosophy and goals of the BMW Performance Center.

    Clean Fleet Report:What are the goals for the BMW Performance Center?

    BMW: This isn’t something we say commercially, but is one we say within: that we don’t sell cars here, but we do sell cars here. The idea is a guest comes here and they own a Mercedes, Porsche or whatever, and they have never given BMW a chance by never having driven one. Maybe they did a short test drive at a dealership, but they have not driven it the way it was designed to be driven. Remember, BMW is the Ultimate Driving Machine for a reason. We take this slogan very seriously.

    BMW Performance Center West

    The Center has a lot of room to learn

    CFR: As an instructor, what do you see when a guest comes into the center, and what do you hope to see when they leave?

    BMW: Because of the history of BMW and the way we are trained as instructors, what we want are the people that first experience our cars, and then own them, to get the absolute most out of them. The programs and instruction we provide are an extension of what the cars are all about, and then how an owner will ultimately use their BMW. How they will best experience it. We believe we can teach an owner how to experience their car in ways that are safe and dynamic, and want them to come back for more. More can include purchasing a second or third BMW, or a return to the BMW Performance Center for additional instruction, or becoming a member of the BMW CCA, (BMW Car Club of America). The CCA organizes events that are an extension of what we do here, so this is another opportunity for owners to increase their driving skills.

    CFR: It sounds as if the instructors and staff at the BMW Performance Center are passionate about the brand.

    BMW: The BMW Performance Center is an extension of the passion the staff has for driving. BMWs have been my favorite car since I was a little kid and our staff loves these cars! Our getting people comfortable to drive the cars is key. We show them the car’s limits by teaching what that limit is, helping them understand the safety element of driving.

    Another way we know the value of the program is from customer feedback. I know it sounds a little cliché to say this, but it is true that this is fun program. People come here to have good time and you tend to engage them on a more personal level. We have contact with customers through social media that love cars, with the end result being more direct communication.

    BMW Performance Center West

    Minis have a place here, too

    CFR: Safety?

    BMW: The safety and physics of what they experience on a closed course directly translates to driving on public roads. This is why we take people onto the skid pad for car control, emergency ABS braking for panic stops, lane change and cornering. The physics of performance driving and safe driving are the same thing.

    I get comments from people that primarily fall into two categories. The first and most common are how they had an amazing time going through the program. These, of course, are gratifying, but the (great) ones are of a driving incident that could have been catastrophic, and something they learned going through the program helped them solve the emergency issue. Often this comes from parents about an experience their teen had, and this is important. Our Teen School, especially the two-day program, doesn’t just do the base braking exercise (which takes drivers to about 40 mph) but does a 70 mph interstate braking exercise which teaches how to solve stopping and turning at full speed, with full ABS. We know that when a person is younger sometimes their enthusiasm outpaces their ability. I have received a lot of emails about a near accident that ended up in their teen being fine.

    CFR: Back to the concept that the BMW Performance Center doesn’t sell cars, but you do sell cars. Other than driving some cool cars, how else does a guest benefit?

    BMW: At the BMW Performance Center guests can drive a buffet of M cars, on track and off-road. (Editor: the M stands for Motorsport, and a BMW with an M badge has engine, transmission, brake and suspension upgrades to make it more performance ready.) The benefit to the customer is they have had, for a very low fee, been able to drive a wide range of BMWs the way they were meant to be driven.

    BMW Performance Center West

    First day of school

    Another great program for customers that buy an M car, is they can take factory delivery at the Spartanburg, South Carolina facility. There, they will spend time on-track, with an instructor, at the BMW Performance Center in a car outfitted just like the one they have purchased. This program is not offered at the BMW Performance Center West here in Thermal, California as we are not adjacent to a manufacturing factory.

    Also, BMW has a long running program called the Ultimate Driving Experience, which is free to attend and tours different markets across the country. The return for participants can come in a few different ways, including driving different BMW models on closed courses, and receiving a purchase incentive to visit your local BMW dealer.

    Plus, many dealerships will give new BMW owners a day at the BMW Performance Center where they can go through the car control program. Each dealer is different, so the buyer would need to speak with their sales associate.

    BMW Performance Center West

    A learning curve

    CFR: Let’s wrap this up with any closing thoughts you may have.

    BMW: Even though the BMW Performance Center is a business, it is really about people learning how to drive their cars–especially what it is like to drive a BMW. BMW feels very familial, and when we do something right, we hear about it. And we hear about it often.

    This interview took place on September 10, 2020, and has been edited for clarity and space considerations.

    Make sure to opt-in to the Clean Fleet Report newsletter (top right of page) to be notified of all new stories and vehicle reviews.

    Whatever you buy, Happy Driving!

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  • Tech: Vonnen Shadow Drive—Innovative Hybrid Power for Your Porsche

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    Powerful Inline Electric Hybrid System Adds HP To Our Favorite Sports Car

    Since the first automobile, enthusiasts have always clamored for ways to hot-rod their cars to go faster.  Over the years, carburetors, camshafts, turbochargers, superchargers, nitrous-oxide injection and exotic fuels have been the way to satisfy that go-fast itch. 

    With the current move to electrification of vehicle powertrains, hybrid battery-electric systems have become the newest method of gaining an edge.  In racing, hybridization is now becoming the must-have technology to win.

    Realizing the advantages of hybrid powertrains, Vonnen Performance, based in the heart of Silicon Valley, has developed an innovative aftermarket, bolt-on hybrid system that takes a regular Porsche 911 and adds an electric motor between the engine and transmission, along with a battery and control unit.

    The Vonnen Shadow Drive (VSD)

    Vonnen Shadow Drive Hybrid System

    A slim addition

    The VSD electric motor is a thin-profile unit, about the thickness of a pizza box, that is sandwiched between the 911’s gasoline engine and the transmission, and replaces the stock flywheel and starter. The motor is tucked in the transmission’s bell housing, adding only about an inch to the powertrain’s length. With the hybridized powertrain installed, it’s impossible to see any changes to it looking into the engine bay from above or below. Despite its small size, the VSD motor adds 150 horsepower (hp) and 150 pound-feet (lb.-ft.) of torque to the 911’s powerplant.

    Because the VSD is before the transmission, it benefits from the same torque multiplication that the engine does.  It works with both manual and PDK transmissions, and both all-wheel and rear-wheel drive Porsches. VSD cannot power the car on its own, it’s purely an assist system, the mildest of all hybrid types, but it is still a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Unlike Turbos or superchargers, PSD generates no parasitic loss; its power is entirely self-contained, and its energy comes altogether from recaptured waste energy.

    Vonnen Shadow Drive Hybrid System

    The VSD is a snug fit

    The VSD is powered by a specially designed and built 1-kilowatt-hour Li-ion battery that sits at the bottom of the 911’s frunk and only takes up a few inches, so there is room for some luggage.  The battery consists of six modules that are of unique chemistry for fast discharge and recharge.  Its characteristics translate into having the speed of an ultracapacitor and the storage capacity of a battery.  This design means that the battery can dump its entire capacity in less than a half a minute, and recharge by regeneration again almost as fast.  Because the battery design is very resilient, it can do it over and over all day long. 

    The battery system and the VSD motor generate a lot of heat, so each has an independent coolant loop with additional radiators that sit in front of the stock 911 engine radiators.

    Vonnen Shadow Drive Hybrid System

    The added battery is in the frunk

    Controlling everything is the Vonnen Control Unit (VCU), a combination of a DC-to-AC inverter and a microcontroller. This part of the system is ingenious because it pulls vehicle data like throttle position, vehicle speed and other data from the 911’s CAN-Bus. It uses this data to calculate how much power the electric motor should produce, and when and how much regenerative energy to charge the battery during coasting or braking.  But this is a one-way data transfer.  Adding a VSD requires no reprogramming of the 911’s engine control unit, and the VSD is entirely invisible to it. The modified 911 is still 100 percent compliant with state and federal emission regulations.

    A VSD adds 210 pounds to a 911, but, by removing the dual-mass flywheel, starter and adding a smaller 12V battery, the total weight gain is only 170 pounds or the weight of a typical passenger.

    The handling characteristics of a VSD-equipped 911 is more balanced, too, because of the placement of the battery-inverter in the frunk.

    Vonnen Shadow Drive Hybrid System

    The controller unit is ingenious

    A smartphone app controls the VSD and is pretty easy to use.  There are three buttons, Stealth, Sport and Overboost (think of Overboost as a Ludicrous Mode). There is even a fourth mode called Off.  I never actually used this mode, but it could be thought of as a valet mode.  Vonnen VSD software is updated through the smartphone app.

    How Does It Drive?

    To find out, Vonnen threw me the keys of its demo 911, a 2013 PDK-equipped base 911, and said enjoy yourself!  This 911 is one that I am familiar with, having driven an almost identical one through Germany and Europe a few years ago.  It’s a reasonably fast car, with 350 hp, 287 lb.-ft. of torque and a 0-60 in about 5.0 seconds, but it gets a little winded at over 130 mph on the Autobahn.  I was keen on experiencing how this VSD-equipped 911 differed from stock.

    Vonnen Shadow Drive Hybrid System

    An app to change your mode

    The first two modes, Stealth and Sport, are what most drivers will use most of the time. They both add 150 hp and 100 lb.-ft. to the base 911’s 350 hp/287 lb.-ft., but they differ in their application.

    Stealth is your daily-driver mode, with the power applied in the low- to mid-range, which adds just enough power for around town and that extra kick to show Teslas who is still the boss. 

    Vonnen Shadow Drive Hybrid System

    The whole package

    Sport is my favorite because it applies more substantial power to the mid and upper ranges.  This mode is for twisty roads and perfect for a Northern California backroad like Skyline Blvd.  The VSD-equipped 911 also had a Porsche Sports Exhaust (PSE) with muffler bypass baffles on it that open when your right foot goes to the floor.  This setup, combined with the electric motor and inverter whine, made for a loud, unmatched, perfect symphony. Of course, fuel economy is unchanged from the stock 911 and is dependent on the driver’s foot.  The midrange power is entirely different from stock with an instant rush. Most times, the engine/VSD and PDK transmission were utterly smooth and unobtrusive, except when you got into it, and then the transmission shifts went from invisible to forceful, quick and deliberate.

    Lastly is Overboost mode, which puts the VSD at full power.  Horsepower stays at 150, but torque gets boosted up to 150 lb.-ft. zero-to-60 times drop from the stock 911’s 5.0 seconds to about 3.6 seconds.  In Overboost, the exhaust is screaming with that distinctive sound that racing Porsches make and the electric motor and inverter whine sounds like killer bees behind you and, all the while, your eyeballs are crammed into the back of your skull.  Like a fine wine, Overboost is something that is a treat, savored for special occasions.  Overboost is suitable for about three or four runs before the VSD system dials back its power until its thermal management system cools itself down, which happened quite quickly.

    The Bottom Line

    The one significant consideration for the Vonnen VSD is the price, and it is a big one.  Currently, the Vonnen Shadow Drive costs about $75,000 installed in your 991-series Porsche 911 (2012-2019) or 981-series Cayman or Boxster. Write Vonnen a check and in a few weeks, you get back a faster, cooler hybridized Porsche that is faster than any Porsche that your buddies have. The VSD is compatible with the entire 991 and 981 series, including the Carrera, Targa, Turbo and GT3.  The exciting thing about the VSD is that you can move it from one compatible Carrera, Boxster or Cayman to another because it is a non-destructive installation mod.

    Vonnen Shadow Drive Hybrid System

    Taking it out on the road proves the technology works

    The current version of VSD is not for everyone, given it costs as much as some Porsches do today. Still, Vonnen is in development to support older generation Boxsters, Caymans and 996/997 Porsches.  They are even working on a VSD for air-cooled 911s.

    Beyond Porsche, Vonnen is looking at offering a VSD for other marques, too, but that is all they would reveal.  Vonnen expects that with an expanded application catalog and cost reduction efficiencies for the VSD components, future versions of VSD will be more affordable. With Vonnen’s Silicon Valley ethos of constant innovation and ruthless cost reduction, it is only a matter of time before a VSD will be within reach of mere mortals like myself.

    What impressed me the most is that with automobiles becoming more and more digital and emission systems becoming more complicated, the choices for vehicle performance mods have become much more limited.  The beauty of the Vonnen Shadow Drive hybrid system design is that it will work with those systems without modifying them.  Automobile electrification is inevitable, but for those who still love our internal combustion engines, adding a bit of electric charge to our rides is as good as it gets.

    Related Stories You Might Enjoy–More Electrified Porsche News

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    For GREAT deals on a new or used Nissan check out Glendale Nissan TODAY!


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