Archive for July 25th, 2007

Toyota’s high class twin, Lexus is producing a new breed of sports sedan in 2008. I’m not sure when it will come out as I am no longer working in Toyota Singapore *frown* but I do know it is scheduled for sale in North America ‘early 2008′.

The name of this beast? Lexus ISF.  According to automobilemag.com, it comes with a 5.0 litre V8 engine, 400 bhp and 350Nm of torque. Think Thierry Henry on steriods. The price? i’m heard rumours it’s around USD $50,000…which means the wannabe rich goons in Singapore will be breaking the bank for a Japanese vehicle. Most of the cash goes to taxes and stuff like that, the actual market value of the vehicle is SGD $75,000. Good luck to the wannebes buying this car. They’ll have to start eating Ramen to pay for the gas.

Back to technical stuff. The brake calipers are ’donated’ by Brembo, it comes with 19′ sports rims, the interior comes with Aluminum trim and sport seats–finished in black or white leather, for the socialite wife/girlfriend/mistress who is afraid of associating with a ‘lower class model’ (or Lexus’s Thai made twin brother!) Suspension is lowered slightly somewhat for…i dunno what. To scare the BMW M3 and Audi RS4 drivers maybe. Wayang nia (Singaporean slang for all show, no substance).

The ISF runs on lexus’s Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management system (VDIM), which enhances handling and traction control systems that normally react to an already unstable condition by anticipating tire slippage before a skid, slide or wheel spin occurs and make stabilizing corrections that maximize dynamic capability. In layman terms, electronically controlling the tyres and handling.

Working in Toyota and seeing the IS250 launched, it is a surprise to realise that ISF looks like a slightly larger 1S250. Other than extending the length and adding twin exhausts, most changes are minor. The interior looks almost the same as the 250’s interior. *sigh* I suspect lexus deisgners are getting lazy or unmotivated. They should be put through an Anthony Robbins ‘Kaizen‘ course.

Ok enough talking. Here the photos are, courtesy of  automobilemag.com