Picture this: your neighbor pulls his incredible new Lexus RC F (arriving Fall 2014) into his driveway. The sharp bark of the V8 stands your hair on end, and the sweeping belt line terminates into muscular shoulders that hug the wide, low-profile tires. The available carbon fiber active wing cuts through the air like a knife and you're overtaken by an all-too-familiar feeling: envy.
Boasting the most powerful V-8 from Lexus to date, with over 450 horsepower and 383 ft-lb of torque, an RC F is certainly a thing to be desired from a performance point of view. And an available carbon fiber roof and wing, quad exhaust, and torque vectoring differential...envy inducing indeed.
Coveting your neighbors ride to the point that you bash in his window with a brick and drive off with his pride and joy— that's not OK. But a little car envy that gets you off your butt — makes you stop watching Top Gear episodes into the early hours of the morning — might get you a job, a savings account and some direction. I'm a car guy, first and foremost. I eat, sleep, and dream four wheels powered by internal-combustion engines, and if I see a car with one iota of coolness, that seed of envy is planted. I have an itch for performance vehicles that needs scratching, but instead of letting my hunger destroy me, though, I work hard every day to get what I want.
Undoubtedly, seeing a Lexus RC F in person would reignite the flames of desire I've felt since the first time I saw the car on the glossy page of a magazine. I can imagine that I'd suddenly want to hide my lame ride deep in the confines of my garage. It was in that moment of shame that I, the frustrated gearhead, would decide that enough is enough. It's time I started driving horsepower-filled beasts with meaty tires, not rattle traps with wheezy engines and tiny exhaust pipes.
The upcoming Lexus RC F is an Olympic athlete on four wheels and one doesn't just walk into a Lexus dealer and say "I'll take an RC F in blue." It's going to take some dedication and hard work to earn that ride. I might have love handles and develop heart palpitations while climbing the stairs from my basement now, but a more disciplined diet, daily exercise, and a little "Eye Of The Tiger" can go a long way. Given some time, I could be the physical embodiment of that finely tuned Lexus — how's that for self-improvement.
So envy might not be so bad — maybe feeling the perfectly weighted helm of that Lexus RC F you've wanted so badly in your grip, that desire will lead to future success in other areas of your life. I think Brad Paisley put it well in his song "All I Wanted Was A Car".
Matthew Davis graduated from BYU-Idaho in 2010 with a Bachelors degree in communication and a minor in automotive technology. His two sons are named after cars. He works for NAPA Auto Parts as a district sales manager.
This post is part of a sponsored collaboration between Lexus and Studio@Gawker.