Lexus vehicles are no strangers to eight-cylinder engines. The LS400 and SC400 were powered by 4.0-liter V8s. The IS F packed a 5.0-liter under its hood. However, none of those were propelled by a V8 as massive as the one in this 2001 Lexus IS300, which is being sold by a forum member on one of 6SpeedOnline.com’s sister sites, ClubLexus.com, for $22,000.
The professionally dyno-tuned 6.2-liter LS3 comes from – you guessed it – a sixth-generation Chevrolet Corvette. It’s been fitted with a variety of mods, such as headers, a 92-mm throttle body, the roller lifters from the C6 Z06’s LS7 V8, 42-pound injectors, and the intake manifold from a 2010 Corvette. The seller estimates rear-wheel horsepower to be 410-420. An included (but not installed) aftermarket cam bumps output to the wheels up to 459 hp and 425 pound-feet. Since being installed in the IS, the GM power plant has turned over fewer than 15,000 miles.
Keeping the Lexus itself from turning over are coilovers, front and rear sway bars, slotted 13-inch brake rotors, and new rear tires mounted on 18-inch wheels.
A T56 6-speed stick handles shifting duties, although it occasionally pops out of reverse. That’s hooked up to a limited-slip diff and 3.73 gears.
The cabin is equipped with a 5-channel amp and a 10-inch subwoofer. The seller states the head unit “plays DVDs, has a touch screen, includes iPhone lightning cable hookup in center console (can be modified to fit Android or other devices with a different USB cable), integrates Pandora, has an SD slot for music/media, and more.”
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
