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The Lexus IS-F Racing Concept to be Shown at the Tokyo Auto Salon

The Tokyo Auto Salon, Japan’s annual automotive aftermarket tradeshow, will see the debut of the Lexus IS-F Racing Concept, with all the body molding and performance modifications you’d expect. Details are non-existent, and the only image is the one shown above, taken from Lexus Japan’s TAS mini-site. In all honesty, I didn’t think it possible …

Kevin · January 4th, 2008

Lexus’ IS-F Presentation Videos

The Auto Network has served up another Lexus presentation, this time a full blown dissertation about the IS-F. This presentation, along with the previously noted LX 570 breakdown, took place in Point Clear, Alabama, and provided the automotive press with an opportunity to learn about the vehicles to an extraordinary level of detail. The first …

Kevin · January 2nd, 2008

Lexus Takes Potential IS-F Customers to the Track

Rather than the mass-media marketing campaign expected with the release of a new vehicle, the Lexus IS-F will be promoted in a different fashion — letting potential customers test drive the car on race tracks across the United States: Lexus will try and lure in buyers at the track, said Brian Bolain, Lexus’ national manager …

Kevin · December 17th, 2007

Japanese Lexus IS-F Promotional Video

A IS-F promotional DVD has been available from Lexus Japan for some time, but it’s only just made its way onto the Internet: I’m not sure if this is the full extent of the video sent out, but I do know one thing: It wouldn’t be possible to find a more ill-suited soundtrack.

Kevin · December 14th, 2007

Lexus IS-F/R Planned?

From the Japanese mag BestCar to Winding Road to you comes a rumor of the Lexus IS-F/R, a lighter and slightly boosted version of the super sedan. The specs, as reported, will see the IS-F’s weight cut down by 220lbs, and a performance boost of 12hp and 6 pound-feet torque increase, bringing the totals to …

Kevin · December 12th, 2007

Japanese Video Review of the Lexus IS-F

This Lexus IS-F segment from Start your Engines, a Japanese auto news show, is a pleasant switch from the norm, as it’s all subtitled in English: “It’s been a long time since I’ve had so much fun driving a Toyota”, the host says after ten laps of the Fuji Speedway. “The shifting really is like …

Kevin · December 10th, 2007

Road & Track Reviews the Lexus IS-F

It’s a little late coming, but Road & Track’s review of the Lexus IS-F is quite informative. First off, their impressions: After spending half a day lapping around Laguna Seca, we were won over by the car’s accurate steering, minimal body roll and outright grip. Its 71.2-mph slalom speed is damn impressive for such a …

Kevin · December 8th, 2007

Lexus IS-F vs. Nissan Skyline Coupe Type S

The January 2008 editon of Best Motoring, one of Japan’s most popular automotive TV/DVD shows, has a Lexus IS-F vs. Nissan Skyline Coupe 370GT Type S (Infiniti G37 Sport in North America) showdown: While it can’t match the IS-F in a 0-60 race, the 333hp Skyline Coupe Type S holds its own on the track, …

Kevin · December 4th, 2007

IGN Test Drives the Lexus IS-F

Can’t say I’ve ever visited IGN for auto news before, but they’ve put together a well-worded review of the Lexus IS-F as tested on the Laguna Seca Raceway: Though it’s not a lightweight car, the IS F handles with an impressively limited degree of body roll, to the degree to which it’s pretty easy to …

Kevin · November 22nd, 2007

FiveAxis Lexus IS-F Makes an Appearance at the LA Auto Show

The Lexus Project IS-F by FiveAxis is moving its way up the west coast, making the trip from SEMA in Las Vegas to the LA Auto Show, where it was photographed in depth by Autoblog. There’s also been mention of a “Stage 2″ IS-F engine mod package being developed by FiveAxis, though there’s nothing in …

Kevin · November 18th, 2007

Great Lexus IS-F Video from SEMA 2007

There’s lots of details in this WebRidesTV video from SEMA 2007, from a great look at the Five Axis Project IS-F to Scott Pruett’s demonstration of IS-F with VDIM on/off: Looks like the IS-F’s release date is firming up. Brian Bolain, the Lexus national advertising and media manager, reveals that the car should hit the …

Kevin · November 14th, 2007

Video Comparison of the Lexus IS-F, BMW M3 & Audi RS4

Coming from an automotive marketing company that counts Lexus as a client, this AMCI video comparing the IS-F with the BMW M3 and Audi RS4 does seem more than a little bias, but that doesn’t stop it from being a great watch: To be fair, test driver Dave Sherman doesn’t proclaim the IS-F the king, …

Kevin · November 9th, 2007

New Info on Lexus IS-F Quad Exhausts

The Lexus IS-F has taken a lot of flak from the automotive community regarding its looks, but when Edmunds revealed the stacked quad “resonators” weren’t connected to the exhaust system, it became a flashpoint for criticism. Well, turns out the quad exhausts are functional after all — Autospies had the pleasure of spending a few …

Kevin · November 7th, 2007

The Lexus IS-F Engine Uncovered

Perhaps the most amusing part of Jalopnik’s review of the IS-F, and something I forgot to mention in my post, was their removal of the engine cover, revealing this jumbled up pile: You can check out more photos of the engine innards at the Jalopnik site. *** Another thing I missed, or rather didn’t realize, …

Kevin · November 7th, 2007

Jalopnik Reviews the Lexus IS-F

Spanning two parts, the Jalopnik review of the Lexus IS-F is a real fun read, but the most interesting aspect is how contrary it is to other published reviews. First off, whereas every other review, bar none, praised the IS-F on the track, Jalopnik came away shaking their heads: If it sounds like I wasn’t …

Kevin · November 6th, 2007

New Lexus IS-F Photos

Lexus has issued a new batch of IS-F photos today, replete in every available color but Starfire Pearl. It’s really a shame that this car was featured in that awful blue for so long, all the other colors suit it much better. That black is just perfect.

Kevin · November 5th, 2007

Autoweek Reviews the 2008 Lexus IS-F

The Lexus IS-F reviews keep on coming, this time from the folks over at Autoweek. As with most of the reviews so far, there was considerable praise for both the transmission and the on-track performance, but deviated from the consensus in regards to the ride quality: Coming over the terrifying crest under the bridge at …

Kevin · October 29th, 2007

Edmunds Comparison: Lexus IS-F vs. Audi RS4

Edmunds has pitted the Lexus IS-F against the Audi RS4, and in what might be the first published IS-F comparison test. The results, unfortunately, were not pretty, as this is a fairly one-sided affair, with the RS4 pulling far ahead of the IS-F in every category. Their conclusion really says it all: The 2009 Lexus …

Kevin · October 28th, 2007

Winding Road Reviews the 2008 Lexus IS-F

The thing that stands out most about Winding Road’s review of the 2008 Lexus IS-F is its attention to detail, seemingly every faucet of the IS-F is extensively covered, and is accompanied by some of the best photos I’ve seen yet. While most reviews so far have been positive, Winding Road is exuberant with its …

Kevin · October 26th, 2007

Automobile Magazine Reviews the 2008 Lexus IS-F

The Lexus IS-F reviews keep coming in, this time from Automobile Magazine. This review is similar in a lot of ways to Edmunds’, in that they loved the on-track performance but were disappointed with its ride harshness off it: The IS-F rides on nineteen-inch BBS wheels that are forged rather than cast, saving somewhere around …

Kevin · October 25th, 2007

Motor Trend Reviews the 2008 Lexus IS-F

I saved the Motor Trend IS-F review for last — not only is it the most positive, it’s written by Arthur St. Antoine, who’s become one of the automotive writers I always pay attention to. If you were thinking about purchasing an IS-F, and maybe the other reviews have you feeling a little unsure, this …

Kevin · October 24th, 2007

Auto Express Drives the Lexus IS-F Around Fuji Speedway

Auto Express’ first drive of the IS-F is different than the other reviews today, in that they travelled to Japan to try the IS-F out on the Fuji Speedway, the track that inspired the F-Performance name. However, the end result was very similar to the Edmunds review, with a key difference — Auto Express was …

Kevin · October 24th, 2007

Car & Driver Reviews the 2008 Lexus IS-F

Next up in our day of Lexus IS-F reviews is Car & Driver, who don’t really say much, yet provide some contrasting opinions when compared to the Edmunds review. For instance, where Edmunds was altogether blown away by the Sport Direct Shift transmission, C&D had some criticisms: Polished paddles put your fingers in charge when …

Kevin · October 24th, 2007

Edmunds Road Tests the 2008 Lexus IS-F

The first automotive press test drives of the Lexus IS-F were published today, so let’s go through them one at a time. First up is Edmunds, which seesawed between being impressed by the IS-F’s on-track performance and unimpressed by its on-road experience: While the kind of on-track schooling the IS-F has received is generally a …

Kevin · October 24th, 2007

Lexus IS-F in New PS3 Gran Turismo 5 Demo

A downloadable demo of Gran Turismo 5 was made available to Playstation 3 owners this weekend, and more to the point, the Lexus IS-F is one of the seven playable cars! The realism is nothing short of astounding, it even shows through in this filmed TV video clip:

Kevin · October 22nd, 2007

Lexus Japan’s IS-F Special Site

Watching the revving Flash loader of the Japanese IS-F “Special Site”, I thought I was about to see a varation of the US version, but that wasn’t the case at all. Instead, I was treated to something really special, in what could only be described as a bad soap opera, right down to the camera …

Kevin · October 10th, 2007

The Lexus IS-F Price Guessing Game

Now that the performance figures of the IS-F have been released, there remains only one significant mystery surrounding the car: How much will it cost in the US? One way to figure it out is to take the Japanese price and go backwards, but a straight-up conversion of the ¥7.66 million retail in US dollars …

Kevin · October 9th, 2007

The Official Lexus IS-F Numbers

It’s official, the Lexus IS-F was announced in Japan today at the Fuji Speedway, here are the details: The V8 5-litre engine will have 417hp and produce 373 ft-lb of torque. The Is-F will be available in Japan on December 25th, and will retail for ¥7,660,000 ($65,742 USD). The Japanese version will be limited to …

Kevin · October 4th, 2007

The Neiman Marcus Lexus IS-F Special Edition

Lexus has started the party early by offering a special edition of the IS-F through the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalogue. Only fifty will be made, and will sport the following differences over the “regular” IS-F: Exclusive black with white accent stitching interior Hand-polished gun-metal rims F logo embossed into headrests Numbered Special Build badge Retailing …

Kevin · October 2nd, 2007

Lexus Introduces the IS-F to Dealers

There isn’t much to this video of the IS-F’s introduction at a Lexus District Dealer Seminar, but if you have a love of screeching tires, this one is going to be hard to beat: Chances are low, but if there’s really only one white IS-F in North America, it’s sure taken a beating. [Via: Club …

Kevin · October 1st, 2007

Another Look at Lexus’ IS-F Marketing

It was my supreme hope that with the introduction of the official Lexus IS-F website, we would see a change in direction in the way it was marketed, but it’s remained the same: Overly flashy Ultrasonic Blue Mica exterior color and the tagline F is everything you thought we weren’t. Clearly, Lexus wants to emphasis …

Kevin · October 1st, 2007

Lexus Launches IS-F Website

It may not have the production specs that everyone’s waiting for, but the new Lexus IS-F website makes up for it by providing just about every other detail you could possibly want, including five previously unseen videos, a ton of new photos and even the story behind the performance sedan: The IS F began with …

Kevin · September 30th, 2007

SEMA: Video Build-Log of the Tuned Lexus IS-F by Five Axis

I’ve only just discovered a great ongoing video series being shown at MyRide, which follows the development of the tuned Lexus IS-F (plus a Toyota Yaris and Scion XD) by Five Axis that will be shown at this year’s SEMA. The series, serving as a weekly check into development, has two installments so far: Countdown …

Kevin · September 28th, 2007

Lexus IS-F Released to the Automotive Press

The automotive press has finally been given the keys to the upcoming Lexus IS-F, not that it means we’ll be getting any insight into the overly secretive final specs, at least according to Arthur St. Antoine of Motor Trend: Tonight I’m in Carmel, California, in preparation for tomorrow’s test drive of the all-new, hugely anticipated …

Kevin · September 27th, 2007

The Lexus IS-F Shows Off

When the Lexus IS-F hit the Laguna Seca Raceway during the California Taste of Lexus Event, there was a deluge of video released by spectators, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING that compares to the following video: Expert editing, amazing angles, fantastic sound — until I find out otherwise, I’m going to assume this is …

Kevin · September 25th, 2007

SEMA 2007: Lexus IS-F Events

Also announced for 2007 SEMA Show is a host of events centering around the Lexus IS-F, which will be available for test drives for the first time ever. The car will also be mounted on a dynamometer, just like the recent Taste of Lexus events, where attendees can spin the wheels to their heart’s content …

Kevin · September 21st, 2007

Lexus IS-F & LF-A Together on Nürburgring

This spy video montage, which shows a collection of upcoming cars taking their turn at Nürburgring, has an interesting segment featuring the Lexus IS-F and the LF-A taking a lap together (skip to 3:09 in the video for the action): The LF-A sounds like a monster compared to the IS-F, and I’m sure the additional …

Kevin · September 19th, 2007

Lexus IS-F in Silver!

As if on cue, photos emerged today on Club Lexus of a silver Lexus IS-F, taken by Claude Feltz at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show. Without a doubt, my point is proven, the IS-F doesn’t just look a little better in colors other than blue, it looks fantastic! (Special thanks to Claude for letting me …

Kevin · September 18th, 2007

Lexus IS-F Preview @ Edmunds

With all of the negative opinion circulating around the IS-F, this Edmunds preview seems almost upbeat: On paper the 2008 Lexus IS-F stacks up well against the M3, not to mention the Audi RS4 and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. In the metal, the IS-F’s appearance is polarizing (“F stands for FUGLY! The car looks wack,” said …

Kevin · September 17th, 2007

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