New Lexus IS350 SARD kit… so sinister!

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For those looking for a good aero kit for the new Lexus CT200h, we’re distributing for Axell out of Japan. Here’s their next upcoming kit.

We’ve been working with Top Secret for 8 years now and one thing remains consistent…they’re true to their name. The origins of the Top Secret name go back to the days of Nagata-san working at TRUST and doing his own side projects which were always Top Secret. Nobody knew what the man was doing but surely he was busy building greatness. Of course the name stuck with him long after his days at TRUST.

The years go by, but some things stay the same. Being Top Secret USA you’d think that we would know what project cars the Japanese office is building. Yet oftentimes we have no clue what the latest project car is. This is one of those examples. The platform of choice, a recent model GS460. The car choice actually does not surprise me after riding with Smoky and Shibuki-san in their Lexus daily drivers (in the past they’ve had twin turbo GS and LS’s for commuting).

The Top Secret Lexus GS460 happened to be uncovered by Option Magazine. We’re grateful for this because there are literally dozens of complete custom cars by Top Secret that never have been seen (did you see our earlier sneak shots of a never again seen matte black TS widebody Porsche 996 Turbo).

This GS features some pretty impressive modifications…

How about R35 GT-R brakes front and rear!? It is not too often we see those outside of the GT-R and especially not on a Toyota/Lexus!

The car is running some very expensive and quality coilovers from Toms and rocks the always classy 20″ BBS LM wheels. The exterior is subtle and modded with Lexon parts.

The engine is tuned to 480ps with the use of a HKS GT3037 turbine and a F-Con tune.

With a number of other one-off modifications ranging from the exhaust to the brake conversion, this car ended up costing about $170,000 USD.

Innovative. High Performance. High Quality. Exclusive. Expensive.
That’s pretty much the definition of Top Secret and proven here once again.

The Lexus IS still looks great in various modified conditions and takes to re-shaping very well. These are two renderings that I happen to like quite a lot. There are some great ideas in here to enjoy. I hope you like them both as much as I do. That bumper below on the D1 is perfect!

Credit goes to Take Out!49

Video is good for capturing a few things that hi-res pictures just cant do justice to. One of my favorite details that I saw at TAS can be found in the rear wing of this Lexus IS-F CCS Concept (CCS = Circuit Club Sports). So rather than try to photograph it, I decided to take a video to show you how cool it is!

The side plates of the rear wing do something I’ve never seen before. They showcase the IS-F logo in multiple segments of dry carbon yet integrate it seamlessly in a way that blew all of us away. Afterward I was wondering how they did it. My guess is that they used a template and laser cut the pre-preg dry carbon to remove the total shape of the IS-F. Then I’m thinking that they laser cut the components of the IS-F and then re-arranged them all so it fit perfectly before putting it into the mold and then the autoclave. That’s my guess…whatever it was they did, it was brilliant.

The rest of the car is remarkable too! The dry carbon roof, revised bodywork, interior changes, carbon ceramic brakes, etc…everything was top notch.

Another detail I noticed which I’m getting the feeling will be seen on other cars in the future – the use of carbon fiber accents applied with double sided tape to extend the lines of other parts. For an example of what I’m talking about, check out the carbon fiber extensions that draw the hood’s shape out further on the front fenders up top and the front grill down below. They make the hood look like its a different shape, but ultimately it’s just smartly designed pieces of carbon fiber that are applied by adhesive onto the body panels to create the look.

Toyota/Lexus Japan taught me a few new tricks just from looking at this car. Some nice thought went into this concept! Well done!

I don’t often see cars rolling on other manufacturers wheels. The more typical upgrades of course are aftermarket wheels. To me, any car which chooses OEM wheels must choose very carefully and select a good combination, otherwise the results will almost always look a bit funny and amateurish.

The owner of this Lexus GS450h made it happen and pulled off a successful OEM swap perfectly. He put those iconic RAYS forged 20 inch R35 GT-R wheels on his Lexus and the result shown below is a super nice VIP GS. Add the Job Design body kit and you get a sleek appearance with wheels from the champion. Bold World coilovers helps to fit the Rays wheels under the fenders. This will surely not be the end of R35 GT-R wheels being used elsewhere…with one of the best OEM wheel designs of the past decade, these wheels are sure to be a go-to selection for many more cars to come.

I love the new E-Class Mercedes. Mercedes design seems to be doing everything right lately. After an incredible C63, now the new E63 meets the same high bar they’ve raised for themselves in both design and performance. The new E-Class looks so nice that I didn’t think there was a way for the aftermarket to screw one up…until I saw Wald put IS-F exhaust tips on their Black Bison kitted E63.

Why in the world would Wald put IS-F exhaust tips on a E63 Benz? This to me just reinforces my point that I’ve been saying privately under my breath for a while now. ENOUGH WITH THE IS-F EXHAUST TIPS ALREADY. Seriously, does it take Wald ruining an E-Class for people to get the picture that this is no better than slapping Z3 fenders on a Junction Produce Lexus LS nearly a decade after Z3 fenders were already played out and then having VIP Tuning fans trying to justify it being cool because a good brand produced it!? In my book, wack is wack. Wald is a good brand, a solid brand that I’d use on my own cars…but recycling the same diffuser and IS-F tips that they use on their IS-F Black Bison car just doesn’t make sense for E-Class owners in my not so humble opinion. Apparently there are some E-Class owners that disagree with me and wish their E63 was a Lexus. If you are one of them, send me an email, I’d be thrilled to know that one exists out there who understands why Wald did this to a E63.

And its a shame because the E63 is beautiful and in my opinion nearly impossible to screw up. Wald got the trunk spoiler right, the front bumper came out pretty nice as well. Just why in the world would they put IS-F exhausts on it? Why do we do this to ourselves as tuners? I feel like if we’re going to steal a major piece of identity from a different car, at the least that car should be part of the same family of cars and an upgraded model to the car you’re installing it on.

That’s just my editorial…it is my views only and does not express the views of Bulletproof or any affiliated companies…its just my crazy ass who is going to snap if I see any more IS-F exhausts on cars that are not IS-Fs. Maybe Wald knows some some secret that I don’t. Perhaps they did market research and found out that most E63 owners wished they had bought a Lexus instead. Maybe they’re selling used AMG exhaust tips to IS-F owners to make double the profit and flip things both directions…Who knows.