My experience with the Lexus IS-F was both impressive and rather sterile. I was put in mind of Samuel Johnson’s observation regarding Milton’s Paradise Lost: “[it is] one of the books which the reader admires and puts down, and forgets to take up again. None ever wished it longer than it is.”
The same might be true of the IS-F… but here’s a fast Lexus that’s not just longer, it’s wider. And taller. And just plain big.
From Toyota Motorsport GmbH, a fully-recognized partner of the Big T themselves, comes this “TS-650”. It’s obviously a pre-facelift LS460 that’s been tuned, tweaked, quad-piped, and so on to create a big Toyota Celsior Bongo Funtime Lexus for the autobahn. The most fascinating part of the vehicle, other than the mere fact of its existence (cf. another Samuel Johnson quote) would be the gorgeous twin-turbo V-8 which is claimed to rev to a totes awesome 9000 rpm and produce 641 horsepower.
The TMG TS LS probably has a Bret Easton Ellis’s chance of actually entering production, but it has to be on everyone’s mind that there is ample precedent for a factory-affiliated speed shop to make big bucks by hopping-up staid production sedans. “TMG”, after all, sounds a lot like “AMG”, doesn’t it?
Wow, I really hate this, and I think it looks ridiculous and terrible.
I kinda like it. It looks like something the Aussies would cook up.
Steve mentions Gore Vidal, Jack quotes Samuel Johnson. TTAC has gone all literary. Can Samuel Beckett be far behind? Not that I’d mind.
I guess we’ll just have to wait. and see
Just get a Camry V6. It’s already @ 268 hp stock.
Boost it, Chip it, anyway you want it.
De-badge and re-badge.
Upgrade the FWD suspension gangnam style mad tight.
Smoke that IS-F and TS-650.
Save buku dolla and win-win, yo.
more like TMZ. Cheeeezy.
Shame to wrap such a beautiful engine in such a gawdy exterior.
If they actually change the name to “Toyota Celsior Bongo Funtime” and maybe slap a Hatsune Miku decal on the hood, I think they’ve got a winner.
Don’t forget “Super” everything is “Super” in japan “ese”
“Toyota Celsior Bongo Super Funtime”
Its high time LExus capitalized on the “gotta have the highest trim even if it makes for a stupid pointless car” market.
I want to meet the man who said “I like the LS but I bought an S63 because it has more track prowess”
I think you’re all full of it, if it had a friggin Benz on the label you’d be jacking off to the picture.
and if it was BMW we’d have a circle jerk
All except the ladies. They be flickin’ da bean.
No not this Ugly Thing again.
So ugly that toyota/Lexus wont even put thier Badges on it.
Kill it with fire!
I think this looks pretty neat, though for some reason, I thought it was a revamped Ford Falcon (Ford of Australia product).
TMG… Too Much Gaudy?
Very nice. Now will Toyota make another small rwd car to compare with the 3 series like the IS used to do?
While the Panamera is merely ungainly, this thing is downright tacky. And ungainly. The rear especially so.
Awesome reference: Less Than Zero is a great novel.
And not a bad movie. In a coked-out ’80s sort of way.
Hah, Ford called, they want their GT500 heat extractors back.
BMW is on line two. They want to discuss the obvious theft of the Hofmeister kink in the C pillar and the 5 series side profile.
Lexus, Infinity, Lincoln, and to a large extent, Volvo, now have naming schemes so complex and ridiculous, I don’t even attempt to learn them. Amorphous blobs all.