Fighter Pilot and His LX 470 Need Rescuing, Toyota Debuts Hydrogen Powered Restomods & More | ClubLexus Refined
Toyota AE86 is back with hydrogen power, a supercharged IS F, and a fighter pilot is left stranded by his LX 470. All this week and more!
ClubLexus Refined is your reward for making it through another week. We have curated another list of the hottest Lexus and Toyota news, reviews, videos and ClubLexus forum threads that you may have missed. The news this week includes a fighter pilot being let down by his LX 470. The Toyota AE86 is back and this time packing hydrogen power. The lowest mileage supercharged IS F is reviewed. And a Lexus drag car can cover the quarter mile faster than you can read this sentence. All that and a whole lot more await you below. Happy Friday!
LX 470 Completes Last 78 Miles of 1,450 Mile Road Trip on a Tow Truck
Josh Arakes is a senior U.S. military fighter-jet pilot, so he has been in more than his fair share of sticky situations. So, it will take a lot more than a broken-down Lexus LX 470 to rattle him. But this story is about a lot more than the final few miles that had to be completed on the back of a tow truck. It is about the whole epic adventure. It is about the engine replacement, and the value of having a AAA membership. The fact that it is all told by a man that pilots fighter jets for a living just makes it all that much more interesting. Check out the full story that Hagerty has posted HERE.
Must-Watch Video: Toyota AE86 Restomod Concepts Featuring Hydrogen Power
Automakers around the world are rushing to bring all-electric vehicles to market. But Toyota is taking a bit of a different approach. The company is also motivated to deliver vehicles with minimal environmental impact. But they feel that in addition to battery electric vehicles that hybrids and hydrogen cars should also play a role. This was made clear recently at the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon. It was there that two beautifully restored AE86 Corolla coupes were on display sporting hydrogen powerplants. It is refreshing to see at least one automaker look beyond battery electric vehicles.
Thread of the Week: How to Activate Your Digital Key
The new for 2023 Lexus RX has a new Digital Key feature which is great. When it works. Unfortunately, many folks have been having issues activating their Digital Key. One such person started a thread in the ClubLexus forums this week to ask about it. We are sharing that thread here because it contains a lot of helpful information including how to activate the Digital Key on your own. Have you been having similar problems with your Digital Key? If so, you might want to check out the thread by clicking HERE.
Lexus Reveals Modified SUV Concepts
At the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon we got to see much more than a couple of hydrogen powered cars. Lexus also revealed a handful of SUV concept vehicles. These vehicles include outdoor themed versions of the RZ, RX, and GX. These are adventure ready vehicles that include upgrades such as additional skid plates, roof racks with tents, and bigger wheels and tires. Nothing too extreme but nice upgrades for those that intend to actually take their off-road vehicle off-road. The full story as reported by Yahoo News can be found if you click HERE.
Must-Watch Video: Lowest Mileage Supercharged Lexus IS F in the World
The Lexus IS F is already a solid performance car. But that doesn’t mean you can’t slap a supercharger on it and kick it up a notch. The IS F that we see in this video might be the lowest mileage supercharged example in the world. We get an up-close look at it from the inside and out. We also get to go along for a ride to see how it performs in the real world. Spoiler alert, it performs very well indeed. Click on the video and see for yourself.
Six-Second Lexus Dragster
The supercharged IS F in the video above is quick. But it is a tugboat compared to this Lexus dragster built in a home shop in South Africa. It wears a custom Lexus IS 250 body. Underneath that body is a steel block 2JZ engine that’s backed by a Powerglide transmission. A 91mm turbo provides enough boost to get this car down the quarter mile in a scant 6.67 seconds with a trap speed of 206 mph. Check out the full profile right HERE on ClubLexus.
Images: Lexus; Dragzine; Tokyo Auto Salon; Josh Arakes
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