2008 Lexus IS-F with VIP Modular VR02 Wheels

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When BMW announced that its 2008 BMW M3 would boast a 400-horsepower V8, Lexus wasn't going to sit around and let the German automaker take over the high-performance luxury segment. Lexus got tough and added its own 2008 power player to the mix, with its IS-F, a tough-looking car also fortified with a 400-horsepower V8 engine that challenges the Audi RS4 and the BMW M3.

Conceived from the mind of Yukihiko Yaguchi, an engineer that's been at Toyota for more than 30 years, the IS-F captures his love for driving fine, responsive equipment. For the past 15 years, he's been thinking in terms of nothing less than an all-wheel-drive supercar with huge horsepower, racetrack-inspired handling and enormous stopping power.

Mechanics

While the conceptual audacity of the IS-F is shocking, most of the car's engineering is related to familiar Lexus stuff. All current U.S.-market IS-series sedans are V6-powered (a 204-horsepower, 2.5-liter V6 motivates the IS 250, and a 306-hp 3.5-liter V6 gives power in the IS 350), yet, the IS is essentially a cut-down version of the larger GS sedan. And since a 4.6-liter V8 is the indispensable ingredient of the 2008 GS 460, Lexus didn't have to perform major surgery to squeeze a V8 into this rear-wheel-drive IS sedan.

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The IS-F's V8 engine is almost certainly based on the LS 600h L's 5.0-liter V8. And it won't take much more than a few tweaks to the variable valve timing system and the engine management electronics to boost this power plant's output to the 416 horsepower and 371 lb.-ft. of torque that propels the IS-F forward.

The engine is teamed with a modified version of the LS460's eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters and a torque converter revised for quicker shifts and rev-matched downshifts. Together, the duo ought to be good for 0-60 sprints right in the juicy middle of the four-second range. Instead of a stock Lexus suspension system, this IS-F features a custom suspension with JIC coilovers that lowers the vehicle 2.5 inches, which needed the real fender to be shaven down to accommodate the lower ride height.

Styling

The IS-F gets an assortment of body modifications that begin with subtle but continue on to probe the outer limits of audacious. A new front fascia and a bulging hood to hide the V-8 are within the realm of reason, as is the inconspicuous spoiler atop the trunk, and the scrumptious stacked quad exhaust tips are a delight; but the custom IS-F Lexus features colossal vents trailing the front fenders seem big enough to exhale a complete Lexus IS-F 20-inch custom VIP Modular VR02 wheels with Nitto INVO Z Rated 20x9 245/30R20 front and 20x10.5 285/25R20 rear tires. These VIP Modular wheels not only add styling cues to the IS-F, but it also adds to its performance since the forged wheels are 20 percent lighter than stock versions.

is-f 20" wheels

When it's time to throw out the anchor at speed, Lexus has fit the IS-F with big 14.2-inch front and 13.6-inch rear disc brakes. The front discs get six-piston Brembo calipers while the rears get two-piston Brembo units.

With its uniquely stacked quad exhausts and rear spoiler, the IS-F's rear treatment makes sure you won't mistake it for any pokey IS 250 or IS 350. But the most distinctive elements of the IS-F are up on the nose. The hood bulges to cover the big engine, the front fascia drops down to feed air to the beast and the fenders flare to cover the wide tires. There's never been a Lexus with the menacing presence of this one. In fact, the IS-F is the anti-Lexus.

Interior

Once you climb inside the IS-F, you return to a more familiar Lexus environment, although there's plenty of aluminum trim and a bold "F" prominently featured on the steering wheel and the console between the twin rear seats. The pedals have aluminum covers, while the seats have been shaped for aggressive driving and will be upholstered in either black or white with black trim. The instrumentation includes an oil temperature gauge and shift indicator light.