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" DETROIT \u2014 Lexus has never had a high-performance line of vehicles to compete with Mercedes-Benz&amp;#039;s AMG and BMW&amp;#039;s M cars. But that will change very soon. This morning, Lexus unveiled it&amp;#039;s very first one\u2014the IS-F based on the IS sedan. We&amp;#039;ve been spying on this car, referred to as the IS 500, for months as Lexus fine-tuned its handling at race tracks around the world. Lexus decided on the &amp;quot;F&amp;quot; designation for their performance line to stand for both &amp;quot;F1&amp;quot;, the open wheel race series in which Toyota competes, and &amp;quot;flagship&amp;quot;. Whatever. We don&amp;#039;t really care where the name comes from\u2014we just want to drive this thing. Under the hood is a 5.0-liter, 400-plus horsepower V8 with 350-ft.-lbs of torque controlled by a performance-tuned 8-speed, paddle shifted transmission that blips the throttle for you on every downshift. Cool.Lexus says that powertrain is good for a sub-4.9-second 0-60 sprint. Behind the 19-inch forged alloy BBS wheels are 14.2-inch front discs and 13.6-inchers in the rear. And just to make track day junkies happy, the VDIM stability control system can be shut completely off. Let the powerslides begin. \u2014Ben Stewart Click here for complete coverage of the 2007 North American International Automobile Show in Detroit.  Lexus IS-F (CLICK TO ENLARGE) "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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