In the european accessory catalouge there is a hitch for the 2is. I have one on my IS250. And it's approved for 3300lbs. Here is a link to the european accessory catalouge.
http://www.lexus-europe.com/lexus_ca..._exterior1.asp

And here is a pic of my IS

 

That sure isn't very pretty!

How much did it cost? Do you have any pictures of the hitch close up, or from underneath?

 

I WANT ONE!! The site won't let me order it from them. Where the hell can I get one.

 

I want one too, but it doesn't look like anything I've seen in the US. It doesn't look like a 1 1/2" or 2" box receiver, AND we don't know if the hitch ball is 1 7/8" or 2" diameter. We also don't know if the UK IS has different mount points than the US IS. That's why I would like to see more pictures.

 

Ok, here is more info about the towing hitch

The Lexus part number: PZ408-C1553-00
Price /w installation in sweden: 12000SEK = 1600$ (incl 25% swedish sales tax)
Lexus installation manual RefNo: AIM 000 389-01
The hitch ball diameter: 2"
Approved max towing weight: 1500kg = 3300lbs

The thing to the left is the european standard electrical connector.
Here is a closeup


Closeup without the box receiver cover


The hitch ball part

 

Thanks for posting that. I've never seen anything like it before. Did they have to cut a hole in the bumper cover for the receiver to stick through? What's weird is that it looks like the ball will tilt up / forward if the tongue weight goes negative.

 

Gernby, seeing that pic with your bigger boat and your S2000 made me cringe. I own an '04 S2000, and would NEVER get it that close to the water! lol. Looks like the water is creeping into the exhaust in that pic.

You are a brave man. Not for towing with your car, but towing a boat with a car that has not the best water traction available. I'd be afraid of my car ending up in the lake. lol

 

From and intuitive standpoint, most would agree, but that's just not the way it works out. I borrowed my dad's V6 / auto Ford Ranger to tow my boat once, and it was TERRIBLE at pulling the boat out of the water. I had to get people to stand on the back bumper of the truck to get enough traction. The weight distribution of the S2000 is much better. I would just rev it to 3K RPMs, let the clutch out quickly, and give it about half throttle. The back tires would slip for about a second then the boat would come right up out of the water. What you need to remember is that once the boat and trailer is actually in the water, there's VERY LITTLE pulling back on the car.

Regarding the back of the car getting wet ... it did get wet, but not in a way it wasn't designed for. The body wasn't submerged or anything.

 

Just by a cheap truck!

With gas prices these days people are unloading them pretty cheap.

 

Why is the boat pushing the car again.. ??

 

It has a lock, that when you push it in and down it lock in place and you have to turn the lever on the side to remove it. It also has a key so you can lock it so no one can steal it.

Yes they had to make a little cutout in the rear bumper.

 

ok, ok, so how do I get one without going to Sweden? This would be great for the little loads with a 5 foot trailer. I WANT IT, I WANT IT, I WANT IT NOW!!! Shesshhhh, time for my nappy now...nite nite.

 

That's very disappointing. I would not want to ruin the look of the rear like that. Someone made a hitch for the S2000 that was easily removable. The receiver was secured to permantent mounts with pins. It was the most expensive hitch out there for the S2000, but still only $400 - $500. The track guys liked it because they didn't have to carry the extra 20 lbs of weight around. If I bought this hitch, I would probably just remove the rear bumper cover, mount up the hitch, tow the boat, then remove the hitch again. Kinda like I did here ...

 

Very interesting. I would've never imagined that it would work that way. I could imagine just seeing the tires break loose, and while you give it throttle it just slides back into the lake. Obviously, that didn't happen.

I feel much more enlightened now.

 

i'm not sure why anyone would consider an IS if towing was a main concern.

there are many new small suvs (rdx, x3, gx, etc) that would do the job a lot better, and are still nice cars