autoevolution
 

Lexus Talks F Sport Performance

Introduced back in 2007 starting with the IS sedan, the F Sport performance line made a lot of Lexus enthusiasts happy through its aerodynamic and luxury upgrades, as well as its personalization program.
2014 Lexus IS 1 photo
Photo: Lexus
With the release of the IS F Sport model, Lexus also experienced a shift in attitude trying to bring excitement from the track into their road cars, the company’s Asia Pacific Division general manager, Kirk Edmondson revealed in an interview.

"When the IS F was launched, I had a button that read ‘What the F?’. This epitomized the attitude shift with that car. To me that is what's so exciting about the F SPORT and everything else. It's like this is the side of Lexus you never knew existed because a lot of people will just think that the Japanese are just working hard at their desk and aren't really out there having fun in cars," Edmondson tol SGCarMart.

“It all started when winning races brought excitement to Japan. At the beginning it takes some crazy and passionate people who will break the rules. This was, in fact, how the original IS F was made. A guy took a chassis to some motor trained guys and started mixing and matching. It's created more from an 'underground rather than above'/ 'behind the curtains' kind of thing. And the good news was it stuck. IS F's Chief Engineer Yukihiko Yaguchi was one of the guys then and it's usually the older guys who can pull it off because they know people from every department,” he added.

The next Lexus model to get an F Sport version will be the GS, as the Japanese luxury brand applied for the GS F trademark back in March.

Story via SGCarMart
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Ciprian Florea
Ciprian Florea profile photo

Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories