Among those who received an invitation was U.S. comedian and television host Jay Leno who traveled all the way to Japan and the Fuji Motor Speedway to try out a pre-production prototype of the 2014 IS that was covered on the outside, but not on the inside, thus affording us our first view of the dashboard.
Leno hints at a longer wheelbase and a sportier chassis setup aimed to compete primarily against the BMW 3-Series and from the looks of things, GM's newcomer in the segment, the Cadillac ATS.
Well, that may hold true for the regular LS, which was recently redesign adopting a more modern appearance, but that's definitely not the case with the concept pictured here and which was prepared by Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG).
Based on the pre-facelift Lexus LS, the TMG Sport or TS-650 Concept is a track ready, high-performance saloon fitted with a 5.0-liter twin-turbocharged engine capable of reaching 9,000 rpm while delivering 641hp (650PS) and a peak torque of 710Nm (524 lb-ft).
An eight-speed transmission drives the car's wheels (we still don't know if the concept is all- or rear-wheel drive).
According to the Japanese carmaker's motorsport division, "its aerodynamics were developed in TMG's wind tunnels and significant development has been dedicated to handling."
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In this occasion, a group of vehicles slowed down on a highway located close to New Taipei in northern Taiwan, with a Lexus RX smashing into the rear end of a Toyota Vios sedan, sending it violently across the road.
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Lexus tells us that the LF-LC Blue concept's new hue is inspired by the glossy base color found in the naturally occurring semi-precious opal stone of outback Australia.
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Consumer Reports has a reputation for discovering malfunctions that others have failed to spot. Unlike what some manufacturers who were slammed by CR may believe, its editors are normal human beings, with families and all.
Director of testing Jake Fisher, for example, has two sons aged four and eight. Fisher says that they “already want to be car testers” and they “love exploring every new car I bring home and enjoy trying to fit into every small opening possible”.
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Being a triple-A-list celebrity with his own series means that Leno is frequently invited by carmakers to drive their latest and greatest vehicles. Occasionally, he may even go ahead and buy one of them to add to his collection.
This time, the 62-year old TV host was invited to Toyota City in Japan to witness firsthand the construction methods of the Lexus LFA.
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The Lexus LF-CC is more compact than the LF-LC concept and also looks more production-ready. It features a less steeply raked interpretation of the trademark Lexus “spindle” grille and its headlamps, while not as futuristic as those of the LF-LC, feature 3 LED projectors each and are set quite back compared to the grille creating what Lexus says is a “3D form”.
The proportions of the LF-CC are those of a typical front-engined, rear-wheel drive coupe, with a long front bonnet, a passenger cabin set rearwards and a stubby tail. In fact, its side profile sort of reminds us of the Toyota GT86/Scion FR-S coupes – or it could just be our blurry eyesight…
While the Miami-based wheel manufacturer doesn’t go into detail, given the lack of the F-Sport model's fender badges and boot lid spoiler, it appears that the project car is based on the regular GS 350 while sporting the more aggressive looking front bumper and upper and lower grille inserts of the F-Sport variant.
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The LFA, Lexus' first ever attempt in the supercar segment, boasts a high-revving 4.8-liter V10 engine mounted up front that generates 552bhp in standard trim and 562-horses for the Nürburgring Edition model. Lexus built only 500 examples of the LFA.
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The two specially modified Japanese models met up at the 2012 Formula Drift event in New Jersey earlier this summer.
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In this video, we see the driver and passenger of a Lexus model following a Honda Accord drifter on either side of the road before he decides to taunt several police cars including a Toyota FJ Cruiser and a Ford Crown Victoria.
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Well, while the 2013 Lexus LS 460 F Sport is indeed the star of Road&Track's latest short video clip, unfortunately, there's no review of the car. At least not on film since the magazine points towards its webpage for the first drive article.
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However, if you prefer to hear what’s new about the LS from Lexus itself, the company released a video with Bill Camp from Lexus College that walks and talks us around the luxury sedan.
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Sadly, we were all wrong. What Lexus is really doing is, well taking a note from Audi's #WantAnR8 Twitter campaign.
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Instead of calling in the media, Lexus invited more than 500 guests from the San Francisco arts and design community to show the redesigned premium saloon.
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The common denominator of VIP Style models is a clean and hunkered down look achieved through select aero parts, prominent exhaust pipes, high-end rims with low offsets that sit flush with the fender and a lowered suspension.
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Of course, as with design, when it comes to engine sounds, everybody has different preferences, which makes this competition between a Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 and a Lexus LFA that met up under a tent at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix 2012 event this month all the more interesting.
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