Lexus TMG TX-650 confirmed
Toyota's German-based motorsport arm, TMG, will unleash the TX-650 on November 30, a 320km/h+ V8 street machineToyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) has developed a new naming convention for its production cars, after the company revealed the designation of its twin-turbo V8 Lexus LS-based bahnstormer, the TX-650, on Facebook yesterday.
After months of speculation, TMG has also revealed the specifications and its intent to build the car in limited numbers, and has also released a handful of teaser images ahead of its November 30 Essen motor show debut.
Developed at TMG's ex-F1 headquarters in Cologne, Germany, the TX-650 is powered by a bespoke twin-turbo 5.0-litre V8 producing 447kW and an expected 700Nm of torque, and will rival vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG in terms of power output. The Lexus LS-based high performance car is mooted to have a top speed of around 322km/h (200mph), and takes advantage of several aerodynamic body upgrades to improve high speed stability. Lower than its Lexus donor car due to new suspension and a chopped roof made from carbon fibre, the TX-650 will be a streamlined, aerodynamic vehicle.
The brake rotors are heavy-duty carbon ceramic items, while lightweight BBS alloy wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport tyres are also fitted. And the car will also feature a custom-made seamless shift gearbox.
The TMG TX-650 will be tagged a concept car initially, but Alastair Moffitt, Marketing and Communications Manager at TMG, previously told motoring.com.au the intention is to produce the car in small volumes, noting the car "is the wildest thing we've done". Toyota's top brass has not yet given TX-650 the green-light for production, with a decision to be made on the company first road-legal vehicle in early 2013. How the TX-650 is received at the Essen motor show will play a pivotal role in TMG's road car building aspirations.
TMG has already tested pre-production versions of the car in Japan and Germany and it is understood that Toyota Motor Corporation CEO, Akio Toyoda, a self-confessed rev head, has driven prototypes of the vehicle.
Other examples of TMG's work include a race-ready TMG-fettled version of Toyota 86 already on sale in Europe and two pre-production TMG vehicles we've driven in Cologne, the supercharged Toyota iQ and rally-bred Toyota Yaris R1A.
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