We all know that automakers and custom shops alike often overdo it with their tuning concepts at events like the SEMA Show in Las Vegas and the Essen Motor Show in Germany, but once in a while, you see some pretty nifty creations like the TS-650 Concept made by Toyota’s motorsports division and Lexus Europe.
The only thing that looks out of place on the TS-650 that made its world premiere today at the 2012 Essen Motor Show are the Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) logos that replace the Lexus badges on the car.
We would also have preferred to see TMG base the TS-650 on the recently facelifted Lexus LS with its more sculpted body, but still, the Japanese brand’s European designers deserve praise for turning a dull luxury limo into a fully fledged sports sedan.
The muscled up concept gains a wider body with blistered wheel arches along with matching front and rear bumpers, and a carbon fiber aero kit comprising a front lip spoiler, extended side skirts, rear diffuser and boot lid wing. The same lightweight material is also used on the roof and the front fender air vent trims.
The car rides on new 20-inch wheels wrapped around in special high-performance tires from Michelin, while TMG’s engineers have also added Carbon fiber-ceramic Brembo brakes, a Torsen differential and Sachs dampers and coil springs.
At the heart of the concept is a specially modified version of the Lexus IS F’s 5.0-liter V8 that now breaths fire through a pair of turbochargers lifting its output to 641hp (478 kW / 650PS) and peak torque to 765Nm (564 lb-ft) at 5,460 rpm.
Lexus says the TS-650 Concept tips the scales at 2,050 kg (4,519 pounds) and can reach 100km/h (62mph) from standstill in just 3,9 seconds and top out at 320km/h (199mph), all while keeping the same interior amenities of the regular LS, as you can see from the pictures.
The changes inside the car concern a set of front sport seats and the use of Alcantara on the seat bolsters, steering wheel, automatic gearbox lever and the top section of the dashboard.
Given that the TS-650 is based on the pre-facelift Lexus LS, we doubt that automaker has any production plans, but we wouldn’t mind seeing concept inspire another model built on the newer LS.
