What's the news?
Lexus will tackle the 'Race to the Clouds' this year at the ninetieth running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. For its first outing at the event the Japanese manufacturer will use a modified version of the IS F sports saloon. Dubbed the IS F CCS-R the car will compete with 200 others in an attempt to make it to the summit of the peak in the quickest time.
Exterior
The thinner air found on the upper echelons of Pikes Peak's 20-kilometre track has a profound effect on a car with performance cut by as much as 30 per cent. To counteract this, the IS F CCS-R has been put on a strict diet of carbon fibre (doors, bonnet, bumpers, spoiler, etc.) and polycarbonate (windows). The result is a car that is 314kg lighter than the standard road car.
The whole thing is finished in Mica orange paint that contrasts against the black of the carbon fibre.
Interior
The interior has not escaped the weight savings either with the mod-cons normally associated with the IS F binned in favour of a carbon fibre dashboard, a smattering of auxiliary gauges, lightweight bucket seats and a flat-bottomed steering wheel.
Safety equipment includes a full roll cage, 120-litre motorsport fuel cell and fire extinguisher system.
Mechanicals
The IS F CCS-R uses a modified version of the road car's 5.0-litre V8 engine but power output remains unchanged. So 422hp and 502Nm of torque will be fed to the Pikes Peak tarmac by an eight-speed semi-automatic transmission via a mechanical limited slip differential.
To tackle Pikes Peak's fearsome 156 turns the suspension has been completely overhauled with race shock absorbers, adjustable camber arms and reinforced bushings and mounts. The braking system has also been beefed up with a racing brake kit applied, new cooling system added and stainless steel brake lines.
Anything else?
The IS F CCS-R is the racing version of the Lexus IS F Circuit Club Sport concept displayed at the 2010 Tokyo Motor Show. It has taken part in several races such as the VLN 10 event at the Nürburgring.