TOM’S proposes a new era of sports customization

Parts manufacturers and special shops generously invest their pride and joy in their “demo cars”. What kind of special care has been put into each one, and what has actually changed compared to the stock specs? This time, we took a test drive of the Lexus IS300 complete car produced by TOM’S, which is known for its racing activities and parts development for Toyota vehicles.

What would happen if TOM’S finished the Lexus IS300 as a complete car?

TOM’S is a brand that releases parts to customize Toyota cars, and at the same time, it is a racing team that has competed in Super GT and Super Formula as a Toyota-affiliated team carrying the ace number in racing.

TOM’S original parts, such as aero parts and suspensions available at dealers, have been supported for their ease of use and reliability on the streets. TOM’S proposes the Lexus IS300 complete car.

A new factory has been set up in Gotenba, where TOM’S mechanics build complete cars one by one. The base of the car can be a high-quality used car prepared by TOM’S or a vehicle brought in by the customer. The appeal of this service is that it allows customers to obtain a complete car, in which TOM’S know-how has been concentrated, more quickly and flexibly.

The IS300 F Sport we test-drove this time is a prototype four-door sedan with an RWD layout and powered by a 2-liter turbo engine. Mr. Imamura of TOM’s Development Planning Department said.

“The IS300 is a Lexus, but it is a car in the vein of the Altezza, so to speak. We thought it would be nice to finish it as a sports FR and enjoy it.”

Handling like lowered ride height is achieved with normal ride height

The aero parts are the most eye-catching part of the styling. The demo car is fitted with a prototype one-off carbon fiber piece, while the production version is made from FRP but has the same shape. The front, sides, rear underbody, and wing are fitted to tighten up the overall appearance.

Only the springs were replaced with the original ‘Adbox’ suspension. This is a type of so-called ‘down suspension’ or ‘down spring’, where only the springs are replaced from the stock suspension. The advantage of using genuine dampers is that they are more supple and less likely to leak oil or make noise even after tens of thousands of kilometers of use.

But the key point here is that the ride height is not lowered. It is generally the springs that lower the ride height. We asked Mr. Imamura from TOM’S about the intention behind this.

“We have received many requests from users for sharper handling and handling like a lowered ride height, but keeping the height the same because a lowered ride height is not user-friendly, so we produced these springs to achieve this.”

The front brakes are Brembo 6-pot, giving the car a sturdy and rigid feel. The finishing touch is the muffler, which aims to enhance driving enjoyment with a pleasant sound.

The demo car we test-drove this time was equipped with Bridgestone POTENZA S007S tires in addition to these specs. The stock sizes of 245/40R19 front and 265/35R19 rear were chosen.