Around 1.3 million examples of the compact rear-wheel-drive Lexus IS sedan have been sold since the first generation arrived in 1999, and to celebrate, the carmaker is launching a shameless special edition of the IS500 F Sport in North America called the Ultimate Edition. Oh boy, this makes us miss the old IS F.
You may remember that the IS500 F Sport uses a 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 to make 466hp and 536Nm of torque. And yes, that’s kinda the only reason we’re bringing you the news of this limited-run Ultimate Edition. As you might have guessed, just 500 units will be available.
But what does the UE actually add? For starters, you get 19-inch forged BBS alloy wheels finished in matte black, with contrasting red calipers and Brembo brakes. There’s also a special shade of gray paint that Lexus has titled ‘Wind.’ We can hear you giggling in the back.
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On the inside, we’re told the F Sport gets a Circuit Red and black trim, with seats covered in artificial leather and ‘Ultrasuede.’ The LFA-inspired steering wheel and shift knob are finished in real dimpled leather, while the analog clock gets ‘precision red laser etching.’ Very Lexus.
Of course, we’d love to see all of these updates, but Lexus has only provided one picture (above) of the Ultimate Edition so far. The IS500 is an excellent-looking sports sedan, and so below is a little gallery of 2022 model year versions to get you excited about V8-engined sports sedans again.
More photos of the Lexus IS500:
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
