The Best Of Automotive: lexus concepts

Sunday, July 31, 2011

lexus concepts

Without question, the highlight of Lexus' display at next week's SEMA show will be the 552-hp, mostly carbon fiber LFA. The nearly $400,000 exotic, which will have a production run of just 500, will play halo car over the pack of six tuners Lexus is bringing. Show attendees get to ogle, drool, and complain about the price -- never mind that they're not buying one -- with the sheet metal in view (read our First Drive of the LFA here, including VIDEO).
TRD IS 350C F Sport Side View
Click to view Gallery
Highlighting Lexus' factory accessory line are two cars: the GS 350 and IS 350C F-Sport by TRD. Both wear an unmissable "Vibrance Orange Glow" paint job, and the full line of F-Sport accessories, including 19-in forged wheels, upgraded brakes, lowering springs, and shocks. Five Axis supplies the body kits for both.
TRD GS 350 F Sport Side View
Three more IS 350Cs will be on display, varying widely in tune. We've already seen Fox Marketing's supercharged drop-top, which boasts "Foxy Green" paint, a Seibon carbon fiber rear wing, iForged Sprint wheels, adjustable coilovers, and bodywork borrowed from an IS F. The IS C by 0-60 Magazine and Design Craft Fabrication boasts a GReddy exhaust and ECU, Advan Racing wheels, Brembo brakes, KW suspension, and a Ings+1 body kit. VIP Auto Salon and JTuned.com teamed up to make a "Matador Red" IS C. It's more of a low-key approach -- certainly when compared to the cars surrounding it -- that wears a carbon fiber hood and spoiler, exhaust and intake, and Work wheels. Lexus says the upgrades amounted to a mere $15,000.
David Huang IS 300 Front Three Quarters View
On the other end of the spectrum is David Huang's IS 300, which rounds out Lexus' SEMA efforts. Huang apparently dropped more than $100,000 on upgrading the sedan. Results? A claimed 1000-hp from its tuned 2JZ-GTE mill. Huang's "IS 1000," as it's been dubbed, sports "Midnight Purple" paint, Work 20-inch wheels, brakes from Endless, Zeal coilovers, HKS sway bars, and a Kansai rear strut tower bar.