2008 Lexus IS F

The best factory hot rod ever?

Mac Demere / autoMedia.com

If the Lexus IS F isn't the best factory hot-rod ever, it's in the top 10 of a very hallowed group.

To build the IS F, Lexus followed the basic hot rod recipe, which hasn't changed much in 80 years. First, select a small, underpowered, but nice handling car. Next insert the biggest engine that can be shoehorned into the engine bay. In the '60s, racing regulations required car companies to pretend they were selling the same cars they raced: The results included the '62 Ferrari 250 GTO, '69 Ford Mustang Boss 302, and the high-winged, slope-nosed '69 Dodge Charger Daytona. Many others followed the formula without racing intentions, such as the '64 Pontiac GTO.

Styling

Today, factory-supported turners—including Mercedes-Benz's AMG, BMW's M Group, Ford SVT, and Dodge SRT—follow the same basic format: Stuff powerful engines—or add things that make the engines more potent—in small cars.

New to that lineup is the Lexus F-Group. The F-Group resembles Lockheed's Skunk Works, which produced the SR-71, F-117, U-2 and some we still don't know about. (Parent company) Toyota and Lexus engineers—some not even assigned to the project—worked extraordinary hours to produce the IS F. It likely will be the first of many we will see from the F-Group.

When the IS debuted in 2001, it was a sweet-handling chassis in desperate search for horsepower. Save for its handling prowess, it would have been utterly forgettable. The '06 IS 350, with a 306-horse, 3.5-liter V-6, made it a respectable sports sedan and a viable option to the BMW 335i. But not a rival to the BMW M3. That's the IS F's job.