Budget Lexus IS 200 Build Runs Right with New Civic Type R
Can a 15-year-old IS 200 budget keep up with a new Honda Civic?
It’s perfectly normal to expect that new performance cars will simply outrun old ones. After all, the horsepower wars are back in full effect these days. And automotive technology is improving so fast, even cars only a couple of model years old feel out of date. So when Honda announced it was finally bringing the Civic Type R to the U.S., everyone obviously had big expectations. And those expectations have been met in the form of a turbocharged, 306 hp, track tuned hot hatch.
But all that fancy techno-wizardry costs money, to the tune of a $35,000 MSRP. That’s quite a bit of coin for what’s essentially an economy car, albeit a special one. So when Alex from Car Throttle finished up his budget Lexus IS 200 build, it made for an enticing opponent. Alex bought the car back in March, laying down a 42.46 second lap time at the Curborough sprint course in stock form. Still, that time was only 2.54 seconds behind Toyota’s similarly ballyhooed GT86.
Alex went to work on the old Lexus, installing new coilovers, wheels, tires, brakes, and exhaust. He then proceeded to shed weight by gutting the interior. That was good enough for a GT86-beating 39.61 second lap time. But before taking on the Civic Type R, he threw in a new clutch and flywheel for good measure. That resulted in an even better 38.33 second lap.
It wasn’t quite good enough to beat out the Honda, which posted a fastest lap of 37.83 seconds. But if we had just bought one, we’d be a little embarrassed. Because Alex has spent a grand total of $6,016.16 on his Lexus IS 200, including the cost of the car. Is a half second worth nearly thirty grand? We’d say no.
And if you want a car like Alex’s IS 200, you don’t even have to build one. Because his is currently up for auction here.
