Video: Lexus RC F Goes for Official Nürburgring Lap Time

Let’s finish up the week with this quick glimpse of a Lexus RC F & IS F on an attempt to set the coupe’s official Nürburgring lap time: (It’s all so subjective with a video like this, but doesn’t the RC F look so much faster than the IS F? Wow.)
Kevin · October 17th, 2014

Photo Gallery: Lexus LFA, RC F, IS F, & First-Generation SC Together

Motor Trend brought the first-generation Lexus SC, IS F, LFA, & RC F together for a photoshoot: To see Motor Trend featuring the history of Lexus performance cars is a clear indication that the perception of the brand is truly changing — too bad so many of their commenters are stuck in the past. [Source: …
Kevin · September 1st, 2014

End of an Era: Final Lexus IS F Rolls Off the Assembly Line

The very last Lexus IS F rolled off the assembly line last week at the Tahara plant in Japan, ending a seven-year production run. While the IS F never sold in large numbers — recent quotes suggest the worldwide sales were 12,000 units in total over its lifecycle — it was the very first Lexus …
Kevin · July 31st, 2014

Lexus to Introduce Manual Transmission RC F & IS F?

Lexus may release a IS F and RC F with a manual transmission, according to recent Motoring Australia interview with Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) business operations director Rob Leupen: One project Leupen revealed was the development of what he called a manual-shift gearbox (presumably a dual clutch) for the new generation RC F/IS F drivetrain. …
Kevin · June 23rd, 2014

Video: Lexus IS F CCS-R Race Car Added to Gran Turismo 6

The Lexus IS F CCS-R has been added to Gran Turismo 6 as part of a major game update — here are some videos featuring the Lexus race car: (Also joining the IS F CCS-R is the Toyota TS030 Hybrid race car — looks like it’s time to dust off the Playstation 3.)
Kevin · June 19th, 2014

Dan Neil of the Wall Street Journal Pays Tribute to the Lexus IS F

Dan Neil of The Wall Street Journal has written a tribute to the 2014 Lexus IS F, arguing that the sedan will one day be a collector’s item: Among other things, the IS F curates a generation of dynamics software for which we will one day be nostalgic.This is the collectible quality the IS F …
Kevin · May 26th, 2014

Faked Spy Shot of the 2016 Lexus IS F

Is this a spy shot of the 2016 Lexus IS F? Jalopnik believes so, running the image yesterday after it was discovered on the Lexus Spain Facebook page. Unfortunately, the car in question is nothing but a Lexus IS with some duct tape and a TRD Japan body kit — here’s a photo for reference: …
Kevin · April 25th, 2014

Video: Lexus RC F Engine installed in the IS F CCS-R

As previously mentioned, the Lexus IS F CCS-R race car that participated in both the Pikes Peak Hill Climb & 25 Hours of Thunderhill was powered by the 450+ horsepower 5.0L V8 engine from the upcoming RC F — here’s a video of Lexus mechanics swapping the engine: No two ways about it, the sound …
Kevin · February 18th, 2014

Next-Generation Lexus IS F Planned?

Despite rumors of its cancelation, Japanese magazine Mag-X reports that Lexus plans to release a next-generation Lexus IS F after all. The first mention that the high-performance sports sedan would be discontinued came last year in an article from USA Today — the debut of the RC F coupe and spy shots of a GS …
Kevin · January 23rd, 2014

Lexus IS F CCS-R Used as Secret Development Car for RC F V8 Engine

It’s been widely reported that the Lexus IS F CCS-R racecar was essential to the development of the new RC F high performance coupe, and now we’ve found out just how far this influence runs. Lexus USA marketer Jim Lee announced on Instagram today that the IS F CCS-R that raced at Pikes Peak and …
Kevin · January 23rd, 2014

Photo Gallery: Lexus IS F in Matte Gray

The folks at Spinelli Lexus in Quebec sent in some photos of a matte gray IS F — they must know I’m a sucker for this color: The signature IS F elements (like the giant fender vents and massive hood) have aged well over the years — going to be interesting to see how the …
Kevin · December 16th, 2013

Lexus IS F Racing Team Finishes Fourth Overall in 25 Hours of Thunderhill

Earlier today, the Lexus IS F CCS-R team of Jeff Westphal, Tom Dyer & Ken Dobson finished 4th overall in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill endurance race. Only a late-night axle replacement kept them off the podium — the team completed 659 laps, finishing just 3 laps behind the third place GMG Motorsports Audi R8. …
Kevin · December 8th, 2013

Live: Lexus IS F CCS-R Racing in 25 Hours of Thunderhill

The Lexus IS F CCS-R will be racing in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill this weekend in California — drivers Jeff Westphal, Ken Dobson & Tom Dyer are competing in the ES class of the longest endurance race in North America, which runs Saturday morning to Sunday morning. With the help of my friend Paul …
Kevin · December 7th, 2013

Lexus IS F CCS-R to Participate in 25 Hours of Thunderhill Endurance Race

Lexus USA has announced an official IS F CCS-R team will be participating in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, an annual endurance race at the Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, California. Lexus released details on the three-driver team: Jeff Westphal: Leader of the Lexus team at Thunderhill.  Jeff is well-known for setting nearly a dozen …
Kevin · November 25th, 2013

Lexus IS F Drag Racer from E KANOO Racing

E Kanoo Racing out of Bahrain are famous for their insanely fast Toyota Supras, and they’ve now turned their attention on developing a Lexus IS F drag racer — here’s the first test run: Powering the IS F drag racers is a Pat Musi custom 649 cubic-inch engine with twin Pro Mod turbos — the …
Kevin · October 31st, 2013

2014 Lexus IS F Announced with Minor Updates

The 2014 Lexus IS F has been announced, and for the fourth year in a row, the high-performance model has received some updates: LED foglamps (bulbs changed to LEDs) Carbon fiber rear spoiler All headrests embossed with “F” logo Alcantara trim (black) added to doors and center console cover Black full semi-aniline leather-trimmed seats (replaces …
Kevin · September 26th, 2013

Lexus Looking for 14,000 Fans to Sign IS F CCS-R

There’s only a couple weeks left before Ken Gushi & the IS F CCS-R make their way to Colorado Springs for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, and Lexus is looking to add your name to the team roster.
Kevin · June 14th, 2013

Is the Lexus IS F Being Discontinued?

In his review of the 2013 Lexus IS F, James Healey of USA Today claims that the high-performance sedan will be discontinued.
Kevin · March 11th, 2013

Motor Trend Reviews the 2012 Lexus IS F

The Ignition web video series from Motor Trend has just featured the 2012 Lexus IS F, and presenter Carlos Lago does an excellent job explaining just what makes the very first Lexus F model special.
Kevin · September 20th, 2012

Lexus Magazine Interview with IS F Chief Engineer

This past weekend, Lexus Magazine had a chance to interview IS F chief engineer Yukihiko Yaguchi as he watched his latest creation, the IS F CCS-R, participate in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
Kevin · August 14th, 2012

Aston Martin to Use Lexus Engines?

German newspaper De Telegraaf reports that Aston Martin is interested using Lexus engines to power future models.
Kevin · July 23rd, 2012

Two More Lexus IS Fs Spotted at Nürburgring

This may be the third day in a row for photos of the next-generation Lexus IS F development mule currently running around Nürburgring, but Motor Trend has some new information worth sharing.
Kevin · July 19th, 2012

Lexus IS F CCS-R Trial Run on Pikes Peak

As an example of what we can expect from the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in July, here’s some in-car footage of Ken Gushi taking a test run up the mountain in the Lexus IS F CCS-R.
Kevin · June 15th, 2012

Fox Marketing Lexus IS F & IS-C Get Crushed

The last few days have not been kind to Lexus automobiles — first it was the Belgian hacksaw attack on a LS 400, and now we have two SEMA show cars built by Fox Marketing being destroyed due to federal regulations.
Kevin · May 28th, 2012

The World’s Most Powerful Lexus IS F?

As it turns out, the double Lexus LFA owner from Bahrain that I featured last month also owns what may be the most powerful IS F in the world.
Kevin · May 9th, 2012

Examining Lexus IS F Sport Performance

Here’s a thorough twelve-minute video that details the various levels of the Lexus IS F Sport family, with in-depth analysis from race car driver Joe Bacal.
Kevin · April 24th, 2012

Lexus IS F in Scion Cement Gray

At the request of Lexus USA, VIP Auto Salon took a brand new 2011 IS F and repainted it in Scion Cement Gray.
Kevin · March 13th, 2012