As the 2017-2018 auto show season kicks off in this author’s home town of Miami, closely followed by the first of the truly international “A-list” shows in Frankfurt, we find auto shows themselves in a state of flux. Shock-and-awe unexpected surprise carmaker unveilings are few and far between, a quaint memory of the past. (The […]

Colloquially, to 86 something means to get rid of it, kill it or throw it out. So there was a hint of irony when Toyota discontinued the Scion brand that the FR-S model name was also 86ed in favor of…86! The carmaker itself couldn’t resist having some fun with this, titling the official announcement Toyota […]

Hardcore, deep-dive Toyota fans know that, in the 21st century, the rarest, most sought-after ne plus ultra of Japanese domestic market (JDM) Toyota-branded high performance is represented by four initials: GRMN. Only a quintet of rare, limited-edition Toyotas were deemed worthy of wearing this vaunted badge. Just 100 copies each of four of them were […]

Lexus invited yours truly and a handful of other automotive journalists and bloggers to attend the kickoff of the Lexus Performance Driving School at Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter (no, not the planet), Florida on Saturday 1 October 2016. This venue is centrally located (a 2 to 3-hour drive) from the Miami, Orlando and […]

Since last June, when we reported on several U.S. trademarks filed by Toyota and its Scion and Lexus brands, there have been a number of new trademark and patent filings by Japan’s largest carmaker that are worthy of note. CH-R…er…C-HR On September 1, as the Toyota Europe Newsroom announced the global debut of the second […]

After the late March accident that killed a spectator at the season-opening VLN race at Germany’s Nürburgring threatened the 43rd annual ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of Nürburgring race and ultimately led to the imposition of speed limits on portions of the track, the show fortunately went on as scheduled. Of the 159 cars entered in […]

As we reported in our previous Kaizen Factor story, on Saturday 28 March, in the course of the season-opening VLN race at Germany’s Nürburgring, the #23 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 driven by Jann Mardenborough had a serious accident ending with the death of one spectator and injuries to two others. This resulted in an immediate […]

For those of us whose Lexus fandom extends into the domain of motorsports, past history has been filled with a good share of disappointment, especially in North America with the past demise of American Le Mans Series GT2S and Grand Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototype efforts, and lower-profile privateer attempts such as Team FBR/Trans Sport […]

In a February 2008 interview, Javier Quirós Ramos de Anaya, President of Grupo Purdy Motor (Costa Rica’s official Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino distributor) revealed that the Toyota 2000GT was “the car of his dreams”. So he just ordered a new one from the factory during the car’s 1967-1970 heyday, right? Not exactly. For one […]

In the mid-1950s, Xavier Quirós Oreamuno, an agricultural engineer, was managing a banana plantation in the southeast of his native Costa Rica. Needing a couple of rugged sports-utility vehicles for the plantation, he was drawn to the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ25 he saw in a magazine ad. Yet, even before they arrived from Japan, Mr. […]

It’s certainly an F SPORT Friday as Lexus announces some exciting news. Lexus officially confirms an F SPORT model for the 2015 Lexus RC and the RC F “Racing Concept” will officially debut next week at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. It’s apparent that Lexus is kicking off 2014 with a bang by offering a […]

Not quite sixty seconds but Lexus did swap a new 2UR-GSE 5.0L V8 for upcoming Lexus RC F in the IS F CCS-R. This time-lapsed video shows the swap out of the IS F CCS-R’s original 2UR-GSE V8 for a more powerful version featuring Atkinson and Otto cycles. The current IS F  V8 features 416 […]

Lexus has just announced that an array of Lexus RCs that will make its debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show starting March 4. The V8 powerhouse RC F which recently debuted in Detroit will make a trip across the pond for its first European visit. An F SPORT version of the RC which appears […]

Apparently it’s been confirmed, the Toyota FT-1 is going to be the MKV Supra. According to Motoring.com.au, the sexy CALTY-designed concept which was unveiled recently in Detroit is reported to be the successor to the legendary Toyota sports car flagship. A close source  informed the Australian news site that Toyota is busy developing the next […]

Lexus has posted a video of the second Lexus LFA Owners event which occurred back in October at the New Orleans Motorsports Park just outside New Orleans proper. This gathering had a record showing of 20 LFAs in one place beating the first owners event at Laguna Seca Raceway by four. Technically this event had […]