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Final Details of Lexus IS-F Announced

The final details regarding the first extra-high performance Lexus have just

The new IS-F will have 417 horsepower... which is a lot. (Photo: Lexus)

been announced. In preparation for the Tokyo auto show, the brand announced the final output of the IS-F's engine as well as its price, an on-sale date plus a couple of other important facts.

We knew from the start that the IS-F was going to be a very fast car, but we didn't know exactly how much power its 5.0-liter V8 engine was going to make. This new generation engine features the best technologies that Lexus has to offer, including direct injection and variable valve timing controlled by an electric motor. When the car was shown off initially, all Lexus would say is that it would make more than 400 horsepower and more than 350 lb-ft of torque. Since that time, a couple of the IS-F's key competitors have come along – the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG and the BMW M3. As this Lexus is now ready to go on sale, and all the tuning on the engine has been finalized, the car will produce 417 horsepower at 6,600 rpm and 372 lb-ft of torque at 5,200 rpm. That's just sneaks in between the 414 horsepower rating of the BMW M3 and 420 hp the Audi RS4 makes, but is off the pace of the absurd C63 AMG, which produces 450 horsepower.

Unlike any of its competitors, the IS-F has an 8-speed gearbox, which is shared in common with none other than the Lexus LS 460. While it's a true automatic transmission, it can be shifted manually via a pair of paddles behind the steering wheel. The sheer number of gears that the transmission incorporates, plus the special programming and tuning it features will allow it to rocket the car to 60 mph in less than five seconds. According to the Japanese fuel economy testing scheme, the IS-F uses 19.3 mpg of premium fuel in a mix of city and highway.

And what of the letter “F”? It was thought for quite a while that it stood for “Fast” or “Flagship”, but in reality it stands for “Fuji”, the race track at which the car was tested and perfected. It's also been said that the “F” badge on the IS-F looks a lot like the first corner at the race track.

The IS-F will go on sale in Japan on December 25th, but won't arrive in North America until early 2008. However, there is a way of getting your hands on one of these luxury sedans if you live in the United States and act quickly enough. Luxury department store Neiman Marcus will be selling 50 “Special Build” Lexus IS-Fs, all finished in Obsidian black with black perforated leather. Included for the $68,000 price is a free lesson at the Skip Barber driving school plus travel and lodging.

Doesn't an IS-F sound like the ideal Christmas present?

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