Lexus has confirmed a tasty addition to its IS sedan lineup – the IS 200t which arrives downunder in September.
As the name suggests, the sporty IS 200t is powered by the new turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine we know from the NX 200t compact SUV (and the upcoming larger all-new RX 200t which was unveiled in April at the Shanghai International Motor Show).
The Lexus IS 200t will see the 180kW/350Nm turbo 2.0-litre – which cleverly delivers impressive fuel consumption by switching between the Otto and Atkinson cycles - driving the rear wheels via an eight-speed Sport Direct Shift automatic transmission which can vary gear shift calibration according to G-forces.
Lexus says the IS 200t will replace the current IS 250 V6 but at this stage no prices or detailed specifications have been announced.
News of the sporty IS comes on the back of word via motorsport’s ‘Coconut Telegraph’ that there may be more to Lexus joining the Australian GT Championship racing series than just ‘PR Fluff’.
The Lexus RC F GT3 which will be campaigned in the German VLN Championship by Farnbacher Racing and Emil Frey Racing is eligible for both the Australian GT Championship and the high-profile Bathurst 12-Hour race.
Apparently a delegation from Lexus Australia visited the Phillip Island circuit last month and met with Australian GT Championship promoter Tony Quinn.
Naturally Quinn says Lexus would enjoy a warm welcome to the burgeoning championship which always turns on better racing than V8 Supercars and boasts a field of mouth-watering supercars being campaigned by a bunch of very professional teams.
For example Peter Hackett, a former GT Championship and close mate of www.carshowroom.com.au is putting together a team to run the stunning Mercedes AMG GT3 racer.
As well, three new Ferrari 488 GT3s have been ordered by Melbourne’s Maranello Motorsport and these will be doing battle with the four new Audi R8 LMS GT3s coming for the Melbourne Performance Centre squad.
There are more overtaking maneuvers in the first laps of a GT Championship race than we’ve seen over the whole weekend of V8 Supercar races in recent times.
