New cars are subject to an impressive amount of testing before they arrive in showrooms. From testing in various climates across the world, to being shaken down at various test tracks to ensure their durability.
But Lexus has now taken things to a new level to test its cars’ quality – by putting its flagship LC Convertible into a deep freezer for 12 hours overnight.
The industrial-scale freezer measures a bitter -18°C, though more impressively the test was carried out with the model’s roof folded down, leaving the interior exposed to the elements.
Carried out at the Large Climatic Chamber at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, the unit can fit two double-decker buses in and can maintain temperatures anywhere between -60°C and 85°C, along with up to 98 per cent humidity levels. The freezer is used to test the endurance of both vehicles and defence equipment.
Lexus says vehicles would not normally be subject to the chamber for such a period of time, while water was also sprayed on the car beforehand to show the model’s durability further. As soon as the Lexus was also released from the chamber, it was also subject to a high-power drive around the Millbrook test track, with stunt driver Paul Swift at the wheel.
Paul Swift said: “I’ve never experienced anything as dramatic as this change from such extreme cold back to normal outdoor temperatures for May in the UK. I didn’t really know what to expect but pressing the start button she started right away. Within three or four minutes the screen was clear and we could continue on to the alpine route.
The Lexus LC500 Convertible is the model’s flagship model, packing a 457bhp 5.0-litre V8 engine under the bonnet, as well as a rather steep starting price of £90,845.
