- California police say they stopped a driver who was clocked speeding at 126 mph.
- That driver turned out to be a 19-year-old behind the wheel of a V8-powered Lexus IS F.
- Officers arrested the teenager and impounded the car for 30 days for reckless driving.
Lots of teenagers would love to simply have the chance to take a fast car out for a spin. One 19-year-old in California certainly put one performance car through its paces recently. Sadly for them, they did so on public roads where police were watching. Their joyride in a high-performance Lexus ended in flashing lights, an arrest, and a very expensive lesson about the limits of speed on public roads.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was patrolling on the Pacific Coast Highway on Sunday. As they did, they noticed a blue blur fly by and just so happened to clock it at 126 mph (203 km/h). That blur was a Lexus IS F.
More: California’s ‘Daylight’ Law Could Surprise Drivers With A $64 Parking Ticket
Probably the last truly great Lexus performance sedan, the IS F leverages a 5.0-liter naturally-aspirated V8 to make 416 horsepower and 371 lb-ft of torque all sent through the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Had the teen pushed the go pedal harder, the car is evidently capable of going 170 mph (273 km/h) when fully pegged.
Officers reported pulling the driver over and arresting him. The youngster is now facing at least a reckless driving charge, if not more. The Lexus is impounded for at least 30 days as well. No doubt, it won’t be cheap to get it out of the impound lot.
California just enacted a slew of new laws for 2025. One of them includes the legalization of five new speed cameras on the PCH. Drivers found going over 100 mph will be slapped with a fine of $500. It’s unclear what this teenager is facing, but no doubt, this incident could affect him for a long time. California law enforcement had one simple message after the traffic stop: slow down in 2025.