Once again, the IS F Evolution rumors resurface

Two years ago, the United Kingdom's Auto Express first reported on the rumo(u)red possibility of a stripped down, lighter and faster BMW M3 CSL-rivaling version of the Lexus IS F. This, of course, became the subject of <A HREF="http://my.is/forums/f42/stripped-down-faster-f-works-324633/">a Front Page story on LexusF.com's sister site, my.IS .</A> A few months later, in December 2007, it was "webzine" Winding Road and their esteemed veteran Japan correspondent Peter Nunn who wrote about what he calls the IS-F/R. This, too, appeared on <A HREF="http://my.is/forums/f41/lexus-working-f-r-348383/">the my.IS Front Page.</A> Now, Peter Horniak of "webzine" 7tune brings us the longest article yet on the "IS F Evolution".

Horniak claims that the earlier goal stated in Peter Nunn's article of increasing power to 435ps (429 hp) has been abandoned, and the engine will remain in its stock 417 horsepower and 372 lb/ft of torque state of tune. Instead, the focus will be on improved handling and braking, as well as notable weight loss. Carbon fiber front and rear bumpers, as well as rear "overfenders" are predicted, as are carbon ceramic brakes. The latter have actually been developed and publicly shown by Lexus, as noted and photographed in <A HREF="http://my.is/forums/f41/lexus-upcoming-line-f-sport-accessories-2nd-generation-lexus-344779/">an early my.IS Front Page story on the F-Sport accessory line.</A> Their heart-stopping (pun half-intended) rumored $11,000 price tag, however, has seemingly made Lexus decide against offering them as part of the F-Sport line.

The wheels are described as a new wider, special color sport design on 245/35R19 front and 275/30R19 rear tires (versus the standard IS F's 225/40R19 front and 255/35R19 rear tires). Claims that "there is a high possibility that the car will come in an all-carbon version" sound suspect to this author, however. (Unless, perhaps, this will be a "trial run" for the rumored extensive use of carbon fiber on the upcoming LFA supercar).

The interior is rumored to receive Kevlar carbon fiber shell, leather-upholstered Recaro front seats and an all-carbon fiber center console. Overall, the 7Tune article predicts a weight savings of 140 kg (308 lbs) a figure that exceeds even Nunn's prediction of a 100 kg (220 lb) weight savings for the IS F Evolution versus the "standard" IS F. Also exceeding Nunn's predictions are the price for all this goodness. As Peter Horniak informs us, "Initial estimates hovered around the US$100,000 mark, but final estimates for the car will be climbing past the (Nissan GT-R) SpecV’s US$170,000 territory and chances of getting change from a cool US$200,000 are slim". From the looks of it, expect the IS F Evolution to be a Japanese Domestic Market-only special akin to the Acura/Honda NSX Type R, Subaru Legacy STI S402 and, we suspect, the upcoming Nissan GT-R SpecV.

To view the original 7Tune article, <A HREF="http://www.7tune.com/is-f-evolution/">click here</A>