Lexus Demonstrates Its New Attitude On The Racetrack

By George Polgar

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Though enormously successful as the world's premiere challenger to the European luxury performance class cars, with impressive quality and value ratings, and stalwart customer loyalty, Lexus continues its push for performance credibility.

This fall, the Lexus Performance Driving School drove home the message at high speed at racetracks across the U.S. – including here at the New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey -- as Lexus owners, prospects and enthusiasts paid for the privilege and mischievous fun of hot-lapping a sexy line up of Lexus F-Sport edition GS and IS sedans and the slick new RC coupes.

The Lexus F-Sport series, named for the Fuji Speedway standing in the foothills of Japan's iconic Mount Fuji, is the real deal in terms of sophisticated track performance engineering.

Driving the 467 horsepower GS sedan RC coupes -- both rated at 0 - 60 in 4.5 seconds or less -- through the high speed straightaways, sweeping curves and often fast rising blind turns, was both exhilarating and surprisingly stress free. Even while pushing towards the car's 168 mile per hour top speed, the level of control and confidence was impressive.

The scene was also the ideal opportunity to give speed enthusiasts a quick look and passenger side hot lap in the all-new Lexus LC 500 performance sports coupe debuting soon for 2017 at projected price of close to $100,000.

2016 LEXUS GS F

467 HORSEPOWER

5.0-LITER V8

389 LB-FT OF TORQUE

TOP TRACK SPEED OF 168 MPH

0-60 IN 4.5 SECONDS

2016 LEXUS RC F

467 HORSEPOWER

5.0-LITER V8

389 LB-FT OF TORQUE

TOP TRACK SPEED OF 168 MPH

0 – 60 IN 4.4 SECONDS

2016 LEXUS IS 350 F SPORT

306 HORSEPOWER

3.5-LITER V6

277 LB-FT OF TORQUE

TOP TRACK SPEED OF 143 MPH

0–60 IN 5.6 SECONDS

2016 LEXUS RC 350 F SPORT

306 HORSEPOWER

3.5-LITER V6

277 LB-FT OF TORQUE

TOP TRACK SPEED OF 143 MPH

0–60 IN 5.6 SECONDS

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