2003 Lexus Es300 Watch Video Extra Clean on 2040-cars

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Lexus RC F GT3 Racing Concept threatens to go racing

In case you needed more proof that the Lexus RC F is a statement car intended to scream "This is not your father's brand" (yes, we're paraphrasing the tagline of another automaker), here it is: the Lexus RC F GT3 Racing Concept. Lexus introduced a GT500-spec version of the RC F at the Tokyo Auto Salon last month, but this GT3-spec entrant and its Reading Rainbow paint job will get to show off at the Geneva Motor Show to whet the appetites of European racing outfits.
Although referred to as a concept, it will shake that name off when it completes a season of testing this year. Next year, Lexus will make it available to paying customers, and says the car will be cleared to race in the Occident and in Japan's Super GT series alongside its GT500 cousin.

Toyota Hilux gets heart transplant from Lexus IS F

The Toyota Hilux might not be sold in the US, but Toyota's venerable pickup has an international reputation of being able to go anywhere and do just about anything. The trucks aren't really known for their speed, though, at least until Toyota South Africa Motorsport's new, one-off project. This bruiser ditches the usual diesel engine and replaces it with an unrestricted 5.0-liter V8 from a Lexus IS F making 449 horsepower. Of course, it takes more than power to handle the rigors of high speed off-roading. The motorsport team also adds bigger, competition-spec brakes, fully adjustable dampers, new springs, and retuned gearing to make the truck look practically ready for the Dakar Rally. The gearbox is really the only part that carries over. The V8 gives the special Hilux quite a mean growl, too. With the new Tacoma just launching in the US, maybe the engineers at TRD need to apply this same concept over here for its own Lexus-engined, one-off pickup.

2013 Lexus ES300h

The Lexus ES lineup, the brand's bread-and-butter sedan, has been completely redone for 2013. With that tip-to-tail rework comes the model's first hybrid. We think the ES350 is better in every way than its predecessor, so a spin in the ES300h is warranted to see what it's like to live with the model sure to become the best-selling Lexus hybrid sedan. In particular, we wanted to see how the gas-electric luxury cruiser handled the battery-sapping realities of winter, so we ventured out into the slush and snow to file this report.
Driving Notes:
Peel away the slush, and this car sure is sharp-looking. It strongly resembles the excellent new GS, no bad thing. With the move to the longer Toyota Avalon underpinnings, the ES300h is long and elegant. Lexus has really upped its styling game lately.