GT5 Transcripts/Lexus Weds Sport IS350 (SUPER GT) '08

The Lexus Weds Sport IS350 is a Super GT Series racing car based on the company's popular IS sports sedan that's sold in Japan and the U.S.
While 4-door race cars in GT racing are a rarity - one other example being the Subaru Impreza sedan - special rules in the Super GT Series allowed these passenger-haulers to participate. While both the Subaru and Lexus possessed the same number of doors, they were completely different animals, with the major difference being the location of the engine.
Because of a change in vehicle regulations in 2008 that allowed for the repositioning of the engine's location, Lexus decided to mount the IS's 6-cylinder power plant amidships for optimal weight distribution. Therefore, the formidable RV8J, a 3-liter V8 that Toyota supplied to the Formula Nippon Series, was moved behind the driver. The new location of the engine allowed Toyota engineers to lower the height of the nose and hood to dramatically improve aerodynamics efficiency.
Not only did air flow more smoothly over the front section of the car, there was more downforce, meaning better cornering grip through fast turns. Under the skin, the Lexus featured a plethora of high-tech racing hardware that included a stiff tube frame chassis and a completely inboard-mounted suspension system.
Drivers Manabu Orido and Tsubasa Abe were quick from the first contest of the 2008 season, even winning a race that they started dead last.
Category:GT5 Transcripts