Lexus IS F CCS-R 2011

The Lexus IS F is a production high performance sports saloon that was developed with circuit driving in mind. Toyota entered this car in the Nürburgring VLN series from a year after its debut, testing the possibilities of the IS F on the circuit in addition to further developing the car. And the vehicle that was shown at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon was the IS F CCS-R, developed as a full circuit spec racing machine.

CCS stands for the concept behind the car: Circuit; a safe place to drive, Club; to have fun with others, and Sport = have fun driving, and the R is of course the R for racing.

The chassis is built from a bare body, and on the interior sporting a full roll cage there are two bucket seats. The front hood and fenders are made of carbon materials, making the car roughly 300 kg lighter than the IS F. The suspension use special race components for everything including the arms and brakes, along with a mechanical limited slip differential.

Meanwhile, the normally aspirated 5 litre V8 producing 417 BHP/51.5 kgfm and the 8 speed automatic transmission is unmodified.

In 2012, the CCS-R was entered in a full season of the VLN, and showed great results. Gran Turismo Series producer Kazunori Yamauchi also took to the steering wheel to lead the car to a class victory. And at the Pikes Peak hill climb, the car proved its high potential by achieving 2nd place in the exhibition class with Ken Gushi at the wheel.