Lexus IS F Evolution still rumored to be in the works
Lexus' attempt at a serious sports sedan has done its best to win hearts and minds, but that doesn't mean the IS F will soldier on unchanged through the economic Armageddon. Following up on a story that surfaced this time last year, Japan's Best Car magazine is reporting that although the Lexus IS F Evolution was initially delayed, Toyota is forging ahead with its hotter IS, and two test mules are currently undergoing testing across the Pacific.
Originally, the IS F Evolution was rumored to be packing a tweaked version of the 5.0-liter V8 putting out approximately 435 hp, however, Lexus has decided to keep the engine the same and instead focus on weight reduction, handling mods and brake upgrades.
The front and rear bumpers, along with the front fenders, will supposedly be swapped out with carbon fiber pieces, while wider wheels coated in 245/35R19 rubber in front and 275/30R19 in the rear will cover new carbon ceramic brakes. A few new exterior hues will be available, while the interior will benefit from even more carbon fiber and a set of matching Recaro bucket seats.
All told, Best Car estimates a weight reduction of around 300 pounds and a price upwards of $180,000, making the Lexus IS F Evolution a JDM-only affair.
[Source: Best Car via 7Tune]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Taglane 7:04PM (3/09/2009)
YET we get no LF-A.
I love Lexus.
Reply
Randy915 7:13PM (3/09/2009)
Let's be real here - swapping parts in CF bumpers and adding bigger brake is nowhere close to the financial cost of developing a F430 killer...
This is a relatively inexpensive way of saying we can do a proper sports car.
Taglane 7:17PM (3/09/2009)
No, but they can build a GT-R Killer at least.
Temple 7:52PM (3/09/2009)
Supposedly the Lexus LF-A isn't canceled. Toyota seems to be the only Japanese company not pulling out of all ready started expensive projects. There are still in F1 (and are looking pretty strong in Winter Testing).
Sea Urchin 8:46PM (3/09/2009)
You read my mind.
MKIV 10:22PM (3/09/2009)
Let me help save some money for Lexus.
Lexus here is what you need to do and it's very simple.
Take the current IS-F and get rid of that hideous looking fenders and rear bumper. Put a conventional LSD and for god sake a manual transmission.
Get rid of the heavy seats and all the junk that try to drive the car for you
Go easy on the sound deadening
Put bigger fenders out back and some rubber [not slap a big engine in a IS 250 with big brakes and call it a sports sedan]
No fancy silly looking exhaust and have someone who can make some sense of simple fluid dynamics design the exhaust. Or just don't pinch the pipe in the middle to 1" ID
Did I mentioned a conventional LSD and a third pedal
MKIV 10:26PM (3/09/2009)
continued...
Did I mentioned a conventional LSD and a third pedal
Boudu 10:43PM (3/09/2009)
oh, STFU MKIV,
Nobody wants to hear marketing advise from some nobody off the internet.
Randy915 2:14PM (3/10/2009)
Taglane, I recall the price of the LF-A was supposed to be 6 figures and a Lexus so that would make it at least a GT-R SpecV competitor but I doubt they had Nissan in their sights when they started on the LF-A project... it's all about gunning down the Euro powerhouses if Toyota were to try.
AIL 7:10PM (3/09/2009)
Once again, proving that Toyota "performance" is an overweight, sloppy, and even arrogant joke. Blech. Build a shortened camry with 2 doors and target it towards 17 year old females, and that is the closest thing they have to "sport".
Reply
RockStoneSteel 12:17AM (3/10/2009)
I concur fully, but suspect Toyota would totally screw even that up. If not mistaken, the Solara was the 2 door version of the Camry, but it turned into the bloated undesirable land yacht. Toyota simply is no longer capable of making a normal, attractive 2 door coupe or 2 door hatch (performance or otherwise). Toyota is obsessed with their slab sided designs with fat fenders that overhang scrawny tires. Anytime Lexus does a 2 door coupe they do some funky chop top with slit windows like the current SC and the upcoming IS coupe.
I think Hyundai has got the formula down perfect with the new Genesis coupe and the Kia Forte' coupe.
Enok 7:13PM (3/09/2009)
AIL, the last-generation MR-2 wasn't overweight or sloppy.
Reply
Mobius_1 9:08PM (3/09/2009)
Nor the Supra, especially those mad ones with 1000+ horses.
Rhawb 8:20AM (3/10/2009)
But those are all last-generation cars. Where are their modern equivalents?
Enok 9:34AM (3/10/2009)
I guess the closest thing to a current Toyota-badged sports car with good power to weight ratio and satisfying handling is a RAV4 V6 Sport. Don't laugh until you've driven one.
Affalterbach 7:14PM (3/09/2009)
Hey look! Its like one of those Supras which are announced on Mondays and canceled the week afterward.
The same goes for the LFA, 086A, IS-coupe.
Reply
nighttime__ 9:29PM (3/09/2009)
maybe you shouldn't blame Toyota, maybe you should blame Autoblog's sources.
Affalterbach 11:54PM (3/09/2009)
Every couple of years there are reports in various mags of a Celica/Supra/Silvia revival.
And as usual, they die after a while.
Autblogist! 7:19PM (3/09/2009)
Alright GT-R V-spec it is not.For $180k it can stay JDM-fair. GT-R V-spec it is not.
Reply
tuna 7:20PM (3/09/2009)
They need to do something about those fake exhaust tips on the IS-F.
Reply