Lexus sent the 2019 RC F to space. Well, sort of

On February 7, 2018, Elon Musk launched a Tesla Roadster space aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Now, Lexus Australia has done something similar. They have sent the new Lexus RC F to space. But, not in the way you think.

While SpaceX strapped on a fire-breathing rocket to the Tesla Roadster and sent it into an orbit around the Sun, the Lexus RC F will be travelling to the Orion nebula. Instead of sending an actual RC F to space, Lexus transmitted the sound of its V8 engine. So, while the Tesla is currently hurtling through the void at a speed of 121,600 km/h, the RC F’s basically travelling at the speed of light.

Lexus Australia roped in Prof. Matthew Bailes, who is an astrophysicist at the Swinburn University of Technology for this project. The engine sound of the RC F was then digitized using a supercomputer. The Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope in Canberra, which is usually used to listen to the heavens had to be re-engineered to send a radio signal out to space. On May 17, 2019, the signal was beamed in the direction of the Orion nebula.

The 2019 Lexus RC F is powered by a 5.0-liter V8 engine that pumps out 471 hp @ 7100 rpm and a peak torque of 391 lb-ft @ 4800-5600 rpm. The RC F Track Edition is the fastest Lexus model since the LFA. It can sprint from 0-62 mph in just 4.3 seconds.

Hat tip to Thomas White!