We have much time for the Lexus IS-F and all the rare iterations that tuners around the world have spawned. Like this one from ‘Fox Marketing’ in the U.K. for example. Sure, it may sound like an American TV company, but unlike American TV, this Lexus IS-F looks like something that will actually enrich your life.
We like the Lexus IS-F because the man who developed it, Mr. Yukihiko Yaguchi, claims to have never worked on a car in all his time at Toyota and Lexus, which he would actually buy and drive every day. To create the rogue Lexus IS-F performance sedan, Mr. Yaguchi drafted the help of Toyota’s best engineers and worked secretly after hours between projects.
The car that resulted bragged 311 kW and 510 Nm of torque. The F1-derived all-aluminium 5.0-litre V8, co-developed with Yamaha, was matted to an immaculate 8-speed gearbox capable of shifting gear in 0.1 of a second. Testing and tweaking of the performance sedan took place at the Fuji Raceway at the foot of Japan’s most recognisable land mark, Mount Fuji; hence the ‘F’ in IS-F. What a story, what a car.
Now, British tuning company Fox Marketing has released a new package for the Lexus IS-F. It’s called the ‘Black Mamba’ kit and boasts new looks and a power boost. The IS-F’s standard 19-inch wheels have been replaced by eye-catching, deep-dish, 20-inch iForged Performance wheels, fitted together with the requisite wider body kit. Fox Marketing also gave the Lexus a new front bumper and redesigned front splitter.
Under the bonnet, however, the IS-F has apparently been given a twin-turbo conversion from ‘Turbonetics’, which offers an unannounced power boost for the 5.0-litre V8 engine. We hope for the sake of the Foxy Lexus IS-F that the extra power hasn’t messed with the linear power delivery that was so good on the standard car.
