The goal is to make it faster than a modern Toyota GT86
When Lexus made the IS200, it wanted to make a moderately quick car that appealed to enthusiasts. It had great handling, a pleasant-sounding six-pot and in Sport trim a limited-slip differential that makes the car quite tail happy when you want it to be.
The IS200 is therefore a great choice for somebody looking to lightly modify a car in order to enjoy it on track. That’s the goal of this mini series by Car Throttle whose aim it is to make a crappy IS200 bought off eBay for 900 quid as quick around a tight track as the nimble Toyota GT86.
In this fist video, they show the car being purchased and test driven, then taken to the track where benchmark times are set. You’d think there’d be a huge difference between the lighter GT86 with its 200 hp and the Lexus which has 150-odd hp and an entire sedan body to lug around.
Even so, it’s by no means a slow car and even in unmodified guise it looks like a lot of fun to throw around.