According to Japanese auto magazine Best Car, Lexus continues to work on a lightweight version of the IS-F, dubbed the IS-F Evolution.

The main focus on the IS-F Evolution would be reducing weight, where up to 300lbs could be dropped by using carbon fiber anywhere possible. Possible body panels would include the front bumper, front fenders, the rear bumper and rear “over-fenders” (??). The car could also be equipped with carbon ceramic brakes and wider wheels (245/35/19 front and 275/30/19 rear). Best Car even mentions the possiblity of an all carbon body option, but that seems a little fanciful.

Even the interior would get the carbon treatment, with carbon leather Recaro front seats and an all-carbon center console.

All this carbon wouldn’t be cheap, and Best Car estimates that the IS-F Evolution could hit $170,000USD. This would be a higher pricetag than the Nissan GTR Spec-V, which in turn pushes this rumor into questionable territory. On top of everything, Best Car was also responsible for the first rumor of this vehicle two years ago, and has yet to be verified by any other source.

(And really, Evolution?)

[Source: Best Car via 7tune]

After a year of setting sales records in 2008, Lexus Canada is feeling the pinch of the shaky economic climate with sales in February dropping 24.4% compared to last year to 1,303 units sold.

That said, the RX 350 continues to be a strong seller, and with the introduction of the 2010 model mid-month, sales jumped 28.4% with 276 units sold.

(I’m looking forward to seeing the Canada/US numbers next month, the new RX should boost everything up quite a bit — and that’s not even including the RX 450h.)

[Source: Toyota]

Consumer Reports’ love affair with the Lexus LS 460 continues — first was their astonishing 99/100 score in 2007, followed by a win as 2008’s top luxury sedan — and now CR has named the LS 460 the best overall vehicle of 2009:

With a road-test score of 99 out of 100, this is our highest-scoring vehicle. It provides a luxurious, uncompromising driving environment, with a supremely comfortable ride and a roomy, well-finished, and exceptionally quiet interior. The LS is brimming with electronic amenities, yet the controls are easy to use. Its 380-hp, 4.6-liter V8 and eight-speed automatic transmission deliver smooth, quick acceleration and relatively good fuel economy. All-wheel drive is available for 2009.

The ES 350 also scored well in 2009, receiving a mark of 91/100 and placing tenth overall .

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Regular readers may have noticed that the Lexus news hasn’t been all that frequent lately, and I’d like to explain just what’s been happening “behind-the-scenes” here at TPP.

First of all, I’ve been extremely sick these last three weeks, having been hit by an extremely nasty cold that made it hard to do much of anything. I came down with the bug right after the Toronto Auto Show, which irritates me to no end — I haven’t even had time to look through all the photos I took or really reflect on what the vehicles were like in person.

The good news is that I’m feeling much better and posting will be picking up. In fact, I’ve got plans for big changes around here, starting with a name change: at some point over the next two weeks, The Passionate Pursuit will be switching to The Lexus Enthusiast. This is the first step in some much bigger plans, which includes new site features and some large, long-term content projects.

Short-term, I have a ton of articles to post up and plenty of research to dig into, so let’s get this car back on the road. More future details shortly…

The IS also received an interior treatment from Lexus Japan, with the Red-Edge Black Special Edition, very similar to the Meteor Black GS edition:

Loving that red stitching — it’s a great accent color, a real eye-catcher. (Still partial to the red carpet in last year’s Passionate Black interior, though.)

This special edition interior is available in both the IS 250 & IS 350 models, but not the IS convertible or the IS-F. It’s also Japan-only, limited to 500 units, and will be commanding a ¥222,000 ($2,250 USD) premium over the regular model when it goes on sale at the end of March.

The special trim looks to be a brushed metal, but I can’t really tell for sure. Anyone familiar with Japanese want to fill us in?

Lexus Japan has been known to release some incredibly nice limited edition interiors, and they’re back at it again with the Meteor Black interior for the GS:

The interior starts off with the default black semi-aniline leather, and then all of the stitching is two-tone black & red with silver accents. Also, both interior wood trims are unique, according to the press release.

The interior is available in any GS configuration, including the GS hybrid, but is limited to 300 sales.