Lexus IS: 1st Generation News & Information

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Classic Top Gear: 1999 Lexus IS 200 Review

Posted by krew on April 13th, 2009

In keeping with the IS theme from yesterday, here’s a throwback Top Gear segment from 1999, with James May test-driving the first-generation Lexus IS 200:

James May certainly looks quite young—but still exhibits that special “Captain Slow” driving style. It does sound like IS 200 suffered the same sort of low-band power deficiency that I experienced in the second-gen IS 250.

Crazy Lexus IS 300 with 713hp

Posted by krew on July 23rd, 2008

Normally, I wouldn’t post a video like this, but the insane power of this car needs to be shared. (Funny thing is, at lower speeds, it still managed to retain its Lexus characteristics.)

Flickr Find: Zues driving a Lexus IS 300

Posted by krew on May 28th, 2008

I wouldn’t call this a Lexus video necessarily, but this sped up footage by Flickr user sullivan1985 featuring an IS 300 is still pretty cool:

(Direct link to video)

Reminds me of this scene from movie Ghost Dog:

(As a sidenote, I’ve wanted to post that Ghost Dog clip since I started this site.)

Lexus IS 300 Garage Drift Video

Posted by krew on May 23rd, 2008

Ignoring everything that could have went wrong, this video of a Lexus IS 300 drifting 180° into a garage is just the thing for a Friday afternoon:

Really though, that’s a perfect setup, how could you not try that if you had a driveway like that?

Flickr Find: Lexus IS 300, Museum Style

Posted by krew on October 5th, 2007

Ken Brown, who spends his days photographing coachbuilt classics for the Blackhawk Museum in California, managed to squeeze in a shoot with a coworker’s IS 300:

Just wonderful, makes the car look like a diecast model, but it doesn’t even touch the other photos in Ken’s Flickr Stream. The ‘57 Mercedes SL300 is fantastic, but my favorite has to be the Bentley Badge. Brilliant.

An Argument for Painted Brake Calipers

Posted by krew on July 29th, 2007

Painted brake calipers are a nice enough touch, but they take on new significance when you see a photo like this:

Painted IS 300 Brake Calipers

Taken from a feature on the G2 website, makers of caliper paint, this indigo ink Lexus IS 300 belongs to Brian Torak. The wheels are 18″ Katana ZR5’s, you can get a better look at them here.