Lexus IS-F: 1st Generation

German TV Show D Motor compared the Lexus IS-F and Mercedes C63 in their latest episode, and no matter how tired you might be of this duel, this english-subbed feature is tops:

Just to be clear, host Tim Schrick did use the adjective "super cool" four times to describe the IS-F, you couldn't fake that enthusiasm. And take a look at this screencap:

(Just curious, this show is obviously using Top Gear as a template, does anyone else find it weird how much this presenter looks like Richard Hammond?)

There was a brief interview with Brian Fox during the Lexus SEMA video yesterday, but in this video by CarDomain, he kicks it up talking about his Sunset Orange Fox Marketing IS-F:

That twin-turbo sounds crazy -- I'm surprised he made the drive from Pennsylvania down to Las Vegas in one piece.

Last time we checked in on the 0-60 Magazine's SEMA-bound IS-F, they had just started working on their modified entry. Fast forward until now, one week away from their deadline, and this video of the custom Greddy supercharger and exhaust system shows just how far things have come:

Seriously, look at this thing:

The 0-60 team have been maintaining a blog over at CarDomain detailing their efforts, and it's a real show-and-tell affair that's definitely worth checking out.

In terms of sheer entertainment, this clip from Fifth Gear judging the Lexus IS-F and the BMW M3 by how high they get a woman's heartrate is pure dead brilliant:

A very enjoyable piece (and it's duly noted that Tiff has to cheat at the end to get the M3 above the IS-F).

Update: Didn't realize there was two parts to this comparison. Updated to reflect that.

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.

This commercial featuring perpetual Lexus voice actor James Sloyan in the passenger seat of an IS-F as Scott Pruett takes a lap around the track is just about perfect:

This is a definite payoff for using the same voice actor since the very first commercials.

(Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what James is saying right there at the end?)