Alastair's BLE 2 Blog: Spy Shots: Mystery Lexus LS spied testing at Nurburgring

2011年9月20日火曜日

Spy Shots: Mystery Lexus LS spied testing at Nurburgring

What started off as an F-Sport package for a few of Lexus’ models may just be taking off into a full line of sporty offerings from the luxury automaker. At first it was the Lexus IS-F getting all of the attention and then it was announced that the recently launched GS350 would also be getting its own F-version. Now, a new prototype caught testing at the Nurburgring is raising some eyebrows, particularly ours.

This sporty looking ride taking some test laps looks a bit like the luxury LS sedan, possibly in an F version. It was seen with Toyota Cologne plates and was stationed at the Toyota/Lexus garage at the N�rburgring which points to a true model variation and not the work of an aftermarket tuner.

So why an F version for the Lexus LS? Well, Lexus has been making some aggressive moves towards targeting the sportier models of its main competitors, competitors that have long mastered the combination of luxury and extreme performance - AKA BMW.

If our guess is on par, then we’re looking at an F-variant offering much more than the 380 HP and 367 lb-ft of torque coming out of the standard LS’ 4.6 liter V8. Following along with the theme of the IS-F and possibly the GS-F, the LS-F could be carrying the same 5.0 liter V8 engine developing around 450 HP.