Lexus IS350C the awesOme spOrts car

Fox Marketing is back for the 2010 SEMA show, following up last year's tuned IS F with a supercharged 2010 Lexus IS350C. While Lexus' hard-top cabrio may be an odd choice for a performance makeover, you can't deny the equipment Fox used to create the lime green, 405 horsepower drop-top.

One of the nice things about Toyota is the way that they keep on trying when things don't go exactly right - and they don't just keep trying the same thing. The first Lexus IS was in some

ways an imitation Lexus; though the interior was beautiful, with an expensive-watch instrument panel, the basic car was fell rather short of the ideals of Lexus and of sports cars. The new IS350, though, can wear the Lexus badge, and be called a sports car without snickers.

The IS350 sports a high-performance 3.5 liter V6 engine , pushing out an insane 306rsepower with 277 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed automatic. If you think that's a recipe for incredibly fast acceleration, you're right; 60 mph comes up in about 6 seconds flat, with Lexus claiming 5.6 seconds. That's quite a bit quicker than the BMW 330i or the Audi A4, and we'd bet the IS350 will have a better repair record, as well.

What's more, the engine produces full power whenever desired, at a moment's notice, so that the hardest thing about passing on the highway is not ending up at a foolhardy speed. Gas mileage is a decent 21/28 according to the EPA, though you should feel very lucky if you actually achieve that. Especially if you've tried to meet Lexus' acceleration figures recently. The engine has just about every performance-enhancing technology out there saved forced induction; it even has both direct and port injection.

If you're more of a twisty-curvy person and can make do with normal acceleration numbers, the IS250, with a 2.5 liter version of the same V6 engine, gets about four more miles per gallon, with about 204 horsepower - good for 0-60 times of about 8 seconds (or 8.5 with all wheel drive). The IS350 itself is rear drive only, automatic transmission only.