The original Lexus 300 and 400 coupes were the cars du jour in the hip-hop set. Dubbed the “Lex Bubble,” the Lexus coupe was the ultimate status symbol and for an artist to feature it in his videos, it signaled having arrived to super stardom and portended even greater success to come. The second edition went in a different direction with a much smaller body and a retractable hardtop. With the new RC, one gets the same feeling of the original with room for four in a coupe and emotional styling. The design cues of the new RC are provocative and attractive, grabbing and summoning you to engage. I had a chance to drive one for a week and the looks were only surpassed by the performance. The 3.5L V6 makes 306HP and 277 lb-ft of torque and was mated to a six-speed automatic in the AWD model I drove. The model was also equipped with the F Sport package and the Navigation/Mark Levinson Premium Audio package with 5.1 surround and 835 watts of power. It came in an ultrasonic blue mica paint coat which drew attention as I parked and navigated my way through the DC metropolitan area. The RC 350 F Sport with all-wheel drive starts at $48,715. For more information, visit www.lexus.com.