Following the V-8-powered IS500 F Sport premiere last month, Lexus unveiled the 2022 IS500 F Sport Performance’s exclusive Launch Edition at Sebring International Raceway. Limited to 500 examples, the Launch Edition will carry over the same 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V-8 rated at 472 hp and 395 lb-ft of torque but distinguishes itself from the regular-production IS500 F Sport by way of subtle cosmetic touches.
Incognito Mode
First up is its new “Incognito” white-ish paint hue that was recently added to the Lexus color palette. Other updates consist of 19-inch forged BBS wheels finished in matte black that shave approximately four pounds of unsprung weight from each corner on top of the weight savings brought by the regular IS500’s wheels relative to a six-cylinder IS350.
Inside, the Launch Edition gets two-tone black and gray suede upholstery applied to the seats, door panels, and center console. Complete with F Sport and serialized badging, the heated leather-wrapped steering wheel receives silver ash trim. The standard IS500 model already boasts a unique startup animation that runs in the digital gauge cluster display every time you fire up the V-8 engine, and so the Launch Edition gets its own startup animation.
Further adding to the buzz of the Launch Edition’s reveal, Lexus presented a one-off IS500 F Sport covered in honeycomb livery matching that worn by the Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3s competing in the WeatherTech Championship (that also races at Sebring). The Vasser Sullivan IS500 tribute car is fitted with 20-inch wheels by Rotiform with a custom honeycomb shape design and an engraving with the phrase “We Can, We Will.” Used by Lexus during its inception in 1989, the expression still stands strong today.
Only available for sale in North America, the IS500 F Sport Launch Edition will come exclusively in the Incognito color. Due to arrive in showrooms later this fall, additional details on pricing and equipment options will be released closer to its arrival.
