Lexus IS: Lexus targets M3
IS to get 5-litre V8 with over 400bhp
We’ve always said that the Lexus IS could do with more power, and the company has answered our prayers with the IS-F, complete with a 400bhp-plus 5-litre V8. The cylinder count and power output should, on paper at least, put it head to head with the next generation, V8-engined BMW M3, not to mention the Audi RS4.
Development of the hotrod Lexus was conducted both at the Nürburgring and at the Fuji Speedway, the circuit that hosts the Japanese Grand Prix, presumably so that the marketeers can make the most of Toyota’s motorsport connections.
The rear-drive IS-F is claimed to hit 60mph in ‘less than 4.9sec’ and boasts the world’s first production eight-speed automatic gearbox. Apparently you will be able to turn off all the electronic driver aids, although as the car’s principal market will be litigation-mad America, you do wonder if that means ‘completely disable’.
