Listen to the 2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance Rip Around the Track (Fridays are for F Presented by Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus)

The 2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance is an ode to the beloved N/A V8, and it’s on full, glorious display here.

It’s no secret that the 2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance is a beast of a car, one of the very few in existence available with a naturally-aspirated V8. In a world filled with turbocharged V6s and four-cylinder powerplants, the luxurious yet sporty sedan might not be the quickest in the world, but it makes up for that by smoking tires on command and emitting some of the sweetest noises you’ll ever hear coming from a car, as we’re treated to en masse in this awesome video from MotorTrend.

In a world where even Lexus’ F cars seem to be living on borrowed time, the mere presence of the 2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance is notable, and the sights and sounds of the car sliding around the track make this clip a perfect choice for this week’s Fridays are for F.

There’s just something undeniably satisfying and soul-pleasing about being able to smash to go pedal, be serenaded by the sounds of an N/A V8, and kick the tail out, sliding around corners like some sort of total hooligan. And that’s precisely what IndyCar driver J.R. Hildebrand does in this video, showing off the IS 500’s prowess at such adolescent tasks.

Sure, these types of maneuvers won’t lead to the quickest lap times or win you any trophies, but what sort of fun is executing a clean line? Personally, we’d rather lay down rubber at every corner, feeding our inner child with the sort of stuff that makes non-car enthusiasts cringe and the law take notice. This show-off session takes place on a particularly hot day at Willow Springs, but that doesn’t dampen the fun one bit.

Hildebrand waxes poetic about the naturally-aspirated V8 while he pushes this one to its very limits, as well as recounting his and Lexus’ history with the beloved engine. He also discusses his love for the way the 5.0-liter V8 sounds coming out of the car’s quad-tip exhaust, which is not too high and not too low – the veritable Goldilocks of powerplants.

Altogether, this video is a sensory overload, but we mean that in a decidedly good way. While it may not be the quickest car out there nor the fastest around a track, or even the new IS F we’ve all been clamoring for, the IS 500 is an amazing machine with a proper engine underhood, and for that, we’re eternally grateful.

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.