johnny_10196
Well-Known Member
^^^This is why we probably haven't seen a GR86 prototype. Toyota is most likely testing it on their own track in Japan.
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Makes you wonder what else they are hiding there^^^This is why we probably haven't seen a GR86 prototype. Toyota is most likely testing it on their own track in Japan.
Lexus Files 'IS500' Trademark for Potential V8 Sport Sedan
Our dreams of a true IS F successor aren't dead yet.
fter hearing rumors that Lexus would bring a 5.0-liter V8 back to its compact sports sedan, we were pretty disappointed when the heavily-refreshed (but not all-new) 2021 IS debuted with zero new powertrain additions or changes. If a new trademark filing holds any water, however, our dreams for a spiritual successor to the IS F may not be dead just yet.
Spotted by a GR86.org forum member, the Toyota Motor Corporation filed a trademark for "IS500" to the United States Patent and Trademark Office last week, the same name those previous rumors gave to the supposed upcoming high-performance Lexus IS. Naturally, the mark is described to be for "automobiles and structural parts thereof."
When unofficial rumblings of a future IS 500 were heard last month, it was said to be Lexus' last application of its naturally aspirated V8, the same 5.0-liter that lives under the hoods of the LC 500, GS F, RC F, and defunct IS F. In its current applications, the engine makes around 470 horsepower which would make for a vast jump over the IS 350's 311 hp. Still, that's lacking compared to the 500-plus ponies expected from the upcoming BMW M3 and M4 with which an IS 500 would compete.
Around the same time Toyota was filing this trademark, however, reports stemming from a Japanese publication surfaced saying that the twin-turbo V8 LC F had been canceled due to the global pandemic, which begs the question: If Lexus can't afford to do a high-performance LC, can it come up with the scratch to build a high-po IS?
Whatever the answer to that question may be, Lexus unveiled the "new" IS a couple of weeks ago making a lot of hoopla over that car's apparently enhanced, more balanced handling and the fact that it was developed at Toyota's NĂŒrburgring-imitating test facility in Shimoyama. If Lexus is serious about targeting the IS at enthusiasts, there are few better ways of doing it than offering eight, turbo-less cylinders.
A Lexus spokesperson declined to comment when reached by The Drive.
Itâll be the v8, probably be the last car the v8 is put into before they retire itWill the IS500 be a NA V8 or the turbo V6?
At first I thought it'd be the 2UR-GSE but I'm now leaning more for it to be the V35A-FTS engine instead. There's a few reasons why I think this, one of them being, if it had the V8 why wouldn't they just call it the IS F?Itâll be the v8, probably be the last car the v8 is put into before they retire it
I could see it being either the V35A-FTS or the 2UR-GSE. The LC500 has the 2UR, the LS500 has the V35A, though I think part of that was that the LC F was supposed to see something more interesting than the 2UR, so then the question becomes do they make an IS500 with the 2UR and an IS F with something more interesting in the future, or make an IS500 with the V35A because it's not going to be a real "F" car?At first I thought it'd be the 2UR-GSE but I'm now leaning more for it to be the V35A-FTS engine instead. There's a few reasons why I think this, one of them being, if it had the V8 why wouldn't they just call it the IS F?
This is Toyota were talking about, a comanpy that took like only 12 yrs to finally add a 3 row of seats on their best selling model.I don't understand why Toyota is so apprehensive about putting the V35a in anything but the LS right now. I know there are several projects in the pipeline but this motor has been out for almost 3 years now. This doesn't just impact the IS but they could have had performance SUVs in '500' and/or F variants as well.
The 3MZ-FE engine is pure gold. Such a creamy, buttery smooth engine with a high end shriek. One of the most underrated Toyota engines ever.The 2GR-FSE had 306hp and was used in the IS350 from 2006-2017, and was replaced by the 311hp 2GR-FKS for 2018-2021.
Lexus does seem to be playing things a bit too conservatively on the engine front these days, but really when haven't they? Lexus used the 1UZ/3UZ engine relatively unchanged for 21 years from 1989 to 2010, ditto for the 2JZ-GE for 14 years from from 1991 to 2005, and the 1MZ/3MZ for 15 years from 1993 to 2008.
Jeff