The latest Import Tuner has a feature on the VIP'd 1999 Lexus GS 400 pictured above. Here's a basic breakdown:

Using a genuine Junction Produce body kit, including the bumpers, side skirts and rear wing, Johnny added a Ugo roof spoiler and JDM rain guards, chrome door handles and a trunk bar. To highlight the gleaming white paintjob, he painted the roof and part of the trunk black. Lowered to touch the ground, the chassis sits above a set of 20-inch Fabulous Profounds with an offset of +23 in the front and +29 in the back. Falken FK-452 tires stretch around these ridiculously deep dished wheels that tuck perfectly underneath the fenders. These tires avoid tragically rubbing against the car through the use of an Air Runner suspension kit with an eight-valve electric solenoid upgrade-the choice system for VIP cars in Japan.

Really like the contrasting roof, but only because it reminds me of the ES 350 and its panoramic glass. (I had to laugh at the owner's motivation: "My previous car was a Mazda RX-7 and I was tired of being cooped up in it like a coffin and not being able to take my friends out.")

Speaking of the Project IS-F concept, I've been meaning to post this photo from Flickr user artistmg for some time now:

I would have thought I'd be long past posting images of this car, but every once and a while an image jumps out at me. The Project IS-F looks especially wide here, and all the more like a set piece for the new Batman movie.

When I started watching this video interview with 5Axis founder Troy Sumitomo, I wasn't really expecting to learn anything new about his company's Project IS-F concept, but it turned out to be pretty interesting, especially the insight into design inspiration:

Note: This is potentially NSFW, Bikinis abound.

It's very easy to picture the concept car exactly as Sumitomo describes it, you can definitely see traces of a jet fighter all through the bodywork.

Hennessey announced earlier this year that they would be training their eyes on some heavy-duty Lexus IS-F modifications, and now Jalopnik has some photos of a seemingly-stock IS-F from their tour of the Hennessey factory. Jalopnik also reiterated that the performance engineering company was working on headers and a new exhaust system for the super sedan.

What's strange is that Hennessey has already tried to sell their IS-F on eBay, where the following description was given:

Only 750 miles on this fully Loaded Lexus IS-F. Hennessey Performance purchased the car new to use it to develop upgrades for the car. We have decided not to pursue it at this time so we are selling the car. It is a few weeks old, has 750 freeway miles on it and is as good as new.

This was back in May, mind you, so maybe the failed auction spurred them back towards some development. (Honestly, though, who buys a used car driven by a performance junkie like John Hennessey?)

[Source: Jalopnik] (Thanks Jarrett!)

Motor Trend took delivery of a Lexus IS 250 deked out with the entire F-Sport catalog, and was generally impressed with the difference the factory modifications made:

The brakes, for example, are of the same six-piston front, four-piston rear, two-piece ventilated and drilled rotor design found on the IS F -- and they're brilliant, hauling the car down from freeway speeds with tenacity and a firm pedal. The clutch is fantastic too, with wonderfully predictable take-up and a firm, but unobtrusive feel. The suspension, on the other hand seems a bit of a let down on Southern California roads.

Oh, and Lexus has also tested its equipment on the track, unlike so many posers. In fact, at their California testing venue, Lexus claimed the full F-Sport equipped IS 250 ran an average of just over three seconds faster per lap than a stock version. Assuming accurate timing, it's hard to argue with that.

With all the F-Sport mods applied to a single car, the cost is substantial, jumping from the IS 250's base price of $31,220 to $45,548. Of course, I don't imagine that would be a very common occurrence, it's much more likely to be bought piecemeal based on the driver's preference.

There must be something special about crazy Lexus SC's in the Bay Area, because San Francisco resident Kristie Wells spotted another variation on what seems to be a local phenomenon:

I don't know what astonishes me more, that there would be three strikingly similar cars all within a 100 mile radius, or that a photo of each car somehow made it onto the Internet independently of its owner.