Autoblog

Remember that luscious Lexus IS-F racer study that received its fair share of unrequited attention the Tokyo Auto Salon? According to AutoBild, it turns out the car isn't an IS-F racer at all -- well, at least not beyond the hood and fact that it has four doors. The German paper reports that the car is actually a Lexus reskin of a 2004 Opel Vectra DTM racer (above, top). Even the engine is from the Opel DTM car, and not a Toyota V8. This could explain why no one at the Lexus stand at the salon would say a word about the car.

So Lexus might get away with never claiming it was a Lexus... cough, cough... but it's a bit odd that they would let Winding Road get the idea that it's the pet project of the IS-F's chief engineer, designed to show the true potential of Lexus' hot sedan and "something of what a full race IS-F might just feel like." Perhaps what a full-race IS-F might look like. Unless Lexus really intends for a full-race IS-F to feel like a 4-year-old Opel.

Thanks for the tip, Georg!

[Source: AutoBild]

How could we possibly (remotely) cover an auto show without providing some shots of the lovely ladies that adorn the manufacturer booths? We can't, so Autoblog Chinese stepped up and snapped off some of the fresh faces found on the floor of the Tokyo Auto Salon for your viewing enjoyment. Enjoy.

Click the image above for a high-res gallery.

One of the other concepts that graced Mugen's stand in Japan at the recent Tokyo Auto Salon was the Civic Type-RR, which in addition to the obvious replacement of the entire front clip with carbon fiber pieces, also includes a K20A engine that's been bored out to 2157 cc to create a more tractable powerband and an even higher redline. 260 horsepower and 173 lb.-ft. of torque is sent to the six-speed gearbox and down to the front wheels through a LSD. Naturally, the brakes and suspension have been upgraded to handle the extra grunt, while carbon fiber was used inside to beef up the structure. Mugen also added a system dubbed I-TCMS, or Intellligent Tire Condition Monitoring, which keeps tabs on the tire's air pressure and temperature. The dash mounted instrument cluster might be a big impediment to forward visibility, but we're sure it's nothing compared to the price.

[Sources: LeBlogAuto, Nihon Car]

Click the image above for a gallery of live pics and a few high-res press shots.

The Honda Fit has established itself as a viable platform for tuners in Japan and with the apparently minimal amount of love being heaped upon the new Civic Type-R, aftermarket firms are focusing more attention on the Civic's younger brother.

Mugen's close ties to Honda have yielded yet another concept that takes the Fit to the next level. Typical for the Fit and Mugen, the F154SC has a supercharger slapped onto the L15A that boosts the power of the 1.5-liter four to 150 hp and 136 lb.-ft. of torque. Everything that could have been modified has, including a full coilover suspension, exhaust, intake and upgraded brakes, along with the prerequisite body modifications that widen the track and feed more air into the engine bay.

Autoblog Chinese grabbed some shots of the F154SC on the show floor and we've added a few press pics to the gallery, thanks to our friends at LeBlogAuto.

click above for high-res images of the IS F Racing Concept from TAS

Lexus quietly trotted out its IS-F Racing Concept last week at the Tokyo Auto Salon, but despite the official unveiling, more questions than answers remain about the future of the DTM-inspired sedan.

According to Winding Road, the racer was the brainchild of the IS-F's chief engineer, Yukihiko Yaguchi, who wanted to create a vehicle that further expanded the credentials of the IS-F. Unfortunately, when Peter Nunn questioned the Toyota folks about what plans it had for the concept, he was met with resounding silence.

Rumors are swirling that this particular concept is nothing more than a design study, with no intention of campaigning a similar IS-F competitively. However, Lexus is supposedly working on an IS-F to campaign in the SuperGT GT300 series in Japan, with the SC430-based racer soldiering on in the GT500 class. More surprising is that the IS-F currently being developed by the Japanese Bandoh team might be sporting a mid-engine configuration. We're not sure if that's going to sit well with SuperGT officials, but testing of the race car is expected to begin at Suzuka towards the end of February and we'll know more then.

Autoblog Chinese snapped off a handful of images of the IS-F Racing Concept in person while at the Tokyo Auto Salon and you can check them out in the gallery below.

[Source: Winding Road]

Click the image above for more shots of Tokyo Auto Salon's assortment of Evos.

There were three main show pieces gracing the halls of the Makuhari Messe over the last few days: the GT-R, the new Subaru Impreza STI and Mitsubishi's Evolution X. Autoblog Chinese snapped off a random assortment of pictures showing several different interpretations of the Evo X from a variety of tuners.

From what we can see, some of the aftermarket firms weren't able to get parts fabbed up before the show, but several of the companies featured revised suspensions, strut tower braces, new intake and exhaust components and a few other choice bits. We're sure next year's Tokyo Auto Salon will be far more important to the aftermarket and its customers.

In the meantime, we were able to find out that ARC brought a modified Evo X to the show fitted with a new intercooler, a complete coilover suspension and upgrade brakes. The team of HKS and Camp featured an Evo with an exposed carbon fiber splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser, but, more impressively, Camp integrated its new Computerized Automobile Multi Player, which acts similar to the GT-R's dash-mounted screen that displays a variety of engine parameters in lieu of a row of analog gauges.

Finally, Team Orange's D1 Evo X was on the show floor and at a Mitsubishi Ralliart shindig. The team's all-wheel-drive drifter came sporting a full carbon fiber body kit and wing, a new set of Enkeis and Lord knows what else.

Check the gallery below for more live shots from the Tokyo Auto Salon.

click above to view more modded Nissan GT-Rs from the TAS

The Tokyo Auto Salon opened up last week and our comprehensive coverage has been slightly delayed due to the madness known as Detroit. We've partnered up with our friends from Autoblog Chinese to bring you as many live shots of the show as we can procure.

There was only one car to kick off the coverage and that's Nissan's new R35 GT-R. Blitz, HKS/Kansai, Fujitsubo, Power Enterprises, Amuse and MINE'S all had vehicles on display, most of which were sporting some free-flowing intakes, wheels and a few aero pieces, including front splitters and wings.

We know that Amuse already has its R1 Titan exhaust strapped onto its shop GT-R, along with a massive carbon fiber rear wing and trick C.F. lip. MINE'S will begin selling its VX-ROM that can eliminates the top-speed limiter and tweak the ECU depending on fuel octane. According to MINE'S, they've dynoed a GT-R fitted with its VX Pro Titan II exhaust and VX-ROM, and output at the flywheel increased to 530 hp. MINE'S will allow owners to send in their ECU to be fitted with the VX-ROM at a cost of 126,000 yen (around $1,150). And they say they can supply the VX-ROM worldwide. MINE'S is also offering springs, slotted rotors and an Esta Full Spec coilover kit with remote reservoirs developed with Sachs.

We've assembled some of the shots from Autoblog Chinese in the gallery below.

Click the image above for a gallery of pics.

We got an early look at an un-liveried version of the Nissan GT-R GT500 race car testing at Suzuka back in October. Nissan has finally revealed the final version today at the Tokyo Auto Salon complete with its all-new paint scheme that will be featured across all of Nissan motorsport in 2008. The design is a result of close cooperation between Nissan and NISMO with some input from a NISMO enthusiasts club. The red signifies Nissan's passion for racing while the black symbolizes the extreme performance of the GT-R.

Technical details and specifications have yet to be released, but we should be getting the official numbers by the end of the month. For now, check out the new photos in the gallery below or follow the jump for a video of the GT-R race car on track and the press release from Nissan.

[Source: Nissan]

The impending Nissan GT-R extravaganza in Japan is about to get underway. Unfortunately, the Tokyo Auto Salon runs right up against our coverage of the North American International Auto Show, so we're stuck covering the event from our couch and hotel rooms. When will they learn?

Regardless, through the power of the Web, we're able to get a sneak peak as to what some of the top tuners in Japan will be doing with the Nissan GT-R in the coming months. Amuse brought out its own GT-R to a Time Attack event at Tsukuba sporting a new rear wing, carbon-fiber front splitter, revised exhaust and a new pair of seats. We're sure there's more, but we don't have the details yet (check out Auto Otaku for pics). The car was tested by Mr. Tanabe around Tsukuba and even the old man himself clocked a lap time of 1:01.332. Color us impressed.

Top Secret, the high-powered dominators of the Tokyo tuning scene, will have another GT-R (see right) gracing its show stand, this one fitted with new wheels, a revised front splitter and God knows what else.

We're getting excited at the prospects and will be sure to keep our eye out for anything and everything of interest while battling the throngs in Detroit.

[Sources: zerotohundred.com, Auto Otaku via Kultivate]

click above for more images of the Mazda RX-8 RS

According to World Car Fans, the vehicle you see above is the JDM-only RX-8 RS that's scheduled to be unveiled this week at the Tokyo Auto Salon, Japan's version of our own aftermarket SEMA Show. In advance of the car's debut, Mazda was nice enough to release two images of the RX-8 RS with its fresh face and updates, some of which we may see in a few days on the standard RX-8 at the Detroit Auto Show. The rest of the 25 images we have in our gallery came from Motor Authority, higher-res versions of which are likely forthcoming from Mazda as soon as the car officially debuts.

The RX-8 RS features larger air intakes on the front fascia that now incorporate a set of flush-fitting fog lights. There's also a chin spoiler that flares out near the edges to divert air up and into the intakes. New taillights can be seen on the car's rear, as well as a spoiler we're not likely to get on garden-variety RX-8. We probably won't see those new 19-inch wheels either, but wouldn't mind if we did.

Mazda did not divulge any information with the two images it officially released, so we can't tell you what's under the hood of the RX-8 RS, whether the engine is an update of the current Renesis motor or an all-new one. The Detroit Auto Show starts on Sunday, at which time all will be revealed.

[Source: World Car Fans, Motor Authority]