Guess what car company is building a muscle car?

[Gripenfelter]

The traditional definition of a muscle car is a smaller car given the engine of a bigger car. Well, Lexus has a smaller car, the IS 300, and it has a nice engine from a bigger car, the 4.3-liter V8. Voilà: muscle car.

Lexus has tapped Rod Millen to assemble its IS 430 muscle car, which should be completed this fall. The V8 will not be supercharged or turbocharged but will get enough massaging to put out 350 to 360 hp, with the emphasis on “street driveability.”

The power will run through a Getrag six-speed manual to a drivetrain upgraded to handle the extra power. The car also gets bigger brakes and 18-inch wheels.

Is this a production tease? We hope so. Word is the engine requires only an extra three-quarters of an inch of hood space to fit, a clearance that could easily be accommodated.

[Superesc]

[hjr]

yup. Trying to take out the M3 with those numbers

[Z24]

that's gonna be expensive

[oaktree5]

The Lexus is to me, completely unimpressive. Go back and take a real look at their cars. All they do is copycat anything and everything other innovative car companys do.

[Altezza]

I'm somewhat confused (as is a lot of other IS300 community members). It's been done before and quite imfamously so by TTE (Toyota Team Europe). There are others running around as well. Why they choose RMM to do another one is somewhat odd. Especially since RMM never really supported the IS300 aftermarket 100%.

Rod Millen is a joke. He can't even make an intake that doesn't trip the CEL, and Lexus approached him to do this...

Oaktree5, if you generally look at the history of the Japanese manufacturing industry, they take something, copy it, make it better, and sell it. Last I checked, Toyota is Japanese. If that means I drive a copy-cat, then I'm still fine with it.

[ZorroAMG]

quote from Road and Track a while back about the new Q45, '...great car at least it is not like the LS 430 which is obviously just a poor facsimile of an S Class Mercedes...


HAHAHAHAHA...make it better??? Nope. Not quite.

[hjr]

Originally posted by Altezza
Oaktree5, if you generally look at the history of the Japanese manufacturing industry, they take something, copy it, make it better, and sell it. Last I checked, Toyota is Japanese. If that means I drive a copy-cat, then I'm still fine with it.

But that implies that they made it better than an s-class or m3, which they didnt - (well probably better than the e46 in terms of reliability).

[Superesc]

Personally I love the IS series, if I were to get a Sedan, it would be my first choice. Good JDM platform.

[Altezza]

Originally posted by hjr
But that implies that they made it better than an s-class or m3, which they didnt - (well probably better than the e46 in terms of reliability).

Hence why I said 'generally'.

In any event, I see your point. Japanese "copycat" vehicles tend to be more reliable, are 90% as good, but much cheaper than their benchmark they copied from. There is a reason BMW and Merc are benchmarks. They've been around forever doing what they do. I wouldn't complain looking at Lexus/Infiniti/etc since they've only been around for 10-12 years. They've made a lot of progress in such a short period of time. Would I drive a Bimmer or Merc? Definately...But the Japanese alternative appealed more to me at the time especially given the price point.

[Shaolin]

if it came with AWD, i'd buy it.

[spyderman]

Originally posted by ZorroAMG
quote from Road and Track a while back about the new Q45, '...great car at least it is not like the LS 430 which is obviously just a poor facsimile of an S Class Mercedes...


HAHAHAHAHA...make it better??? Nope. Not quite.

Are they referring to looks? Cause I think Lexus has pretty much set the standard in terms of reliability, build quality, and refinement. Plus, you're getting a lot more car than the S Class for a lot less...

[Dope Dealer]

Originally posted by spyderman


Are they referring to looks? Cause I think Lexus has pretty much set the standard in terms of reliability, build quality, and refinement. Plus, you're getting a lot more car than the S Class for a lot less...

I'd say a cheap S Class ripoff is not the LS 430, but the Acura RL....

[Hakkola]

Originally posted by spyderman

Plus, you're getting a lot more car than the S Class for a lot less...

You got the 'a lot less' part right but that's about it. I like Lexus , but have you ever sat in an S class???

Does the lexus have suede interior roofline and massaging seats?

I've never been in a base s class, but in the cl600 which is basically a 2 door s class with different headlights, it had the most comfortable and most elegant interior I've ever seen, not to mention a monster engine.

[spyderman]

Originally posted by Hakkola


You got the 'a lot less' part right but that's about it. I like Lexus, but have you ever sat in an S class???

Compared with the S430 - it's competitor, the closest in size and price, but still costing a lot more, the LS 430 comes with a lot more features considering the price you're paying.

Does the lexus have suede interior roofline and massaging seats?

Yes it does.

I've never been in a base s class, but in the cl600 which is basically a 2 door s class with different headlights, it had the most comfortable and most elegant interior I've ever seen, not to mention a monster engine.

First off, the CL600 is almost twice as much as a LS430, so I wouldn't consider it a fair comparison. If Lexus built a car for that price, I'm sure it won't fail to impress, and here is a quote I found from a consumerguide.com, "The refined Lexus LS 430 can't be beat for comfort and features at just under $55,000" - that's what they wrote about the Lexus under the "Competition" heading for the Mercedes S430