The letter F is an auspicious one in Lexus lore. Back in the mid-'80s, when the Lexus brand was still in the planning stages, Toyota insiders referred to the prospective luxury division as "Circle F." And the car that put Lexus on the map, the LS 400, was known internally as Flagship One, or F1. For 2008, the letter F is back: The company has decided to crash the ber-sport sedan party with the 2008 Lexus IS-F , a hard-edged performance car based on the IS-series sedan and aimed squarely at perennial magazine-cover fodder like the Audi RS4, BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.  read more »

Test Drive News From NURBURG, Germany that, Cadillac announced today that the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V high-performance sedan sets a new Nurburgring sedan lap record, running a 7:59.32 lap of the Nrburgring Nordschleife in the hands of GM Performance Division's John Heinricy. This is thought to be the fastest-ever lap time for a production sedan on this demanding 73-corner, 12.9-mile racetrack. The redesigned CTS-V is no stranger to the Nordschleife, as it was here that spy photographers first spotted this car in heavy camouflage. The high-performance 2009 Cadillac CTS-V sedan is now in the final stages of development and testing, says Cadillac, and this particular CTS-V had no significant modifications over and above the production specification. Although not confirmed as the fastest lap any sedan has ever run on the Nrburgring, there's no denying the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V has the hardware to pull off such a feat. The power source in the CTS-V is GM's supercharged 6.2-liter LSA V8 and it's rated for an estimated 550 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 550 pound-feet of torque. We'd guess this particular car also had the six-speed manual transmission, which will be offered as a hard-core alternative to the usual automatic.  read more »

Remember that mystery Lexus IS circling the ring last week? Due to the camo, guesses as to what it could be ranged from a new hybrid to a mid-cycle refresh. Turns out that the most obvious answer was right: it's a race car. Those questionable hood bumps were merely an illusion created by the camouflage. This is the TME/Team Gazoo IS 250, which competes in the ADAC endurance series and can be seen fighting for the Rennstrecken Trophy at the ring. The fastest lap?  read more »

With flashy contemporaries like the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG , the 2008 Cadillac STS-V always had an uphill battle to win some celebrity among luxury-minded horsepower junkies. However, it isn't a German or even a Japanese high-performance sedan that has effectively torpedoed the STS-V . No, the shot below the water line has come from within its own family. The forthcoming CTS-V will sport 81 more horsepower, 111 more pound-feet of torque, greater agility and a much better interior at a lower price. In other words, the little brother is way cooler. Jacksons one through four can relate.  read more »