To make sure that one’s car is running at par with the competitor’s machine, or most preferably better than theirs, one should study the rival’s machine and making it as a performance benchmark so that they would not have to face the never-ending shame of coming in a bad position every time a side-by-side comparison is done. But as for the upcoming 2014 Lexus IS-F, a new approach is taken in constructing their new sports sedan.
Instead of having the Mercedes C63 AMG or BMW’s M3 as a benchmark, Lexus is now using the CCSR (Circuit Club Sports Concept) IS-F to be the yardstick instead. Having run at the recent Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and finishing at second place in its class, the CCSR IS-F had shown a great potential in its performance and has a lot more in store for the future.
“What I’m trying to do is keep this vehicle as a benchmark for the future of the IS-F, so the IS-F can move in this direction. What I have built into this car is the ultimate performance of the IS-F, and I would like to reflect a lot of its traits in the production version”, said the Chief Engineer of the IS-F, Yukihiko Yaguchi.
Housing the similar 5.0-liter V8 as the production version, referencing the CCSR implies that the upcoming IS-F will be a much more performance-focused machine, whether it is with weight reduction or squeezing out more power from the engine. Rumors are also running around that a twin-turbo V6 might find its way into the 2014 IS-F’s engine bay. Putting the 2014 IS-F aside for a while, Taguchi also added that the CCSR will only be a one-off; where there are no plans to mass produce this surprisingly street legal racer. But like the Juke-R, “If the demand is strong enough, I’d definitely consider a production version”.
