600 hp, twin-turbo Fox Marketing/Artisan Lexus IS-F

The 2009 Lexus IS-F is slated to get some serious attention at SEMA, and Fox Marketing and Artisan are out to prove that show and go aren't mutually exclusive.

The plan is to create an IS-F that has the power to match its presence, and to that end, Artisan developed a twin-turbo setup that huffs compressed oxygen into a 5.0-liter V8 equipped with JE pistons and Crower rods. With a Mishimoto radiator, an Artisan exhaust, a healthy amount of boost and a thorough tune, Artisan is estimating over 600 hp at the rear wheels.

Aesthetically, the team sought to compliment the stock IS-F's styling, so they've fitted a bespoke body kit consisting of custom front and rear bumpers, and a set of side-skirts that cleanly integrate into the blistered rear fenders. iForged rollers fill the wheel wells, sized 20x9.5-inches in front and 20x11.5-inches in the rear, and wrapped in Toyo T1R tires (255/35R20 front and 305/30R20 rear). The Glasurit Sunset Orange hue is courtesy of BASF, and according to Brian Fox, they'll be blacking out the headlamps, grille and emblems to tie everything together.

Artisan plans to have its IS-F exhaust on sale next month, and when we check out the Lexus booth this November, we'll be able to see Fox/Artisan's efforts in person, along with a handful of other tuned and tweaked IS-Fs

Rent an R8 for $8,000 per day... not including the flight to Tokyo

The Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong bought 13 Rolls-Royce Phantoms for shuttling guests around the city. The Peninsula Hotel in Tokyo has purchased just one car, and will leave the guest to drive himself. That car is an R8, finished in the hotel's trademark Brewster Green, with a gold Peninsula logo outside, and cognac leather inside. To avail yourself of it -- once you've gotten to Tokyo -- you'll need to book the Peninsula Suite, which goes for the ho-hum figure of ¥850,000 per night. That $8,000 U.S. every day to burble at single-digit speeds in Tokyo traffic, although you are allowed to take it outside of Tokyo. Come to think of it, the speeds probably don't matter -- if you have that kind of money, there's a good chance you've got an R8 or better in your own garage already...

Spy Shots: Ferrari Enzo successor "FX70" spotted

We've been patiently waiting for a successor to the Ferrari Enzo for some time now, and here's evidence that development of the next supercar from Maranello is underway. Codenamed FX70, the mule is housed in the shell of an F430 Scuderia, though there are a number of clues that what you're looking at is something very special. Take for instance the wheels, which are grossly oversized for the Scuderia. The track is also much wider and out back there's a large center-mounted exhaust. Next Autos reports that Ferrari is working on two separate engine options for the FX70 including a 700-hp twin-turbo V8 and a twin-turbo V12 that could reach 800 hp. Rumors suggest that Ferrari may go with the TT V8 in deference to the climate concerns of our time, though we hardly expect Ferrari to mix in too much green with that Rosso Corsa Red.

[Source: Next Autos]

Honda's new hybrid is the Insight!

Honda is reviving an old name for its new Global Hybrid that goes on sale next spring by calling it the Insight. The new five-door hatchback "Prius-Killer" will be the most direct competitor yet for Toyota's iconic hybrid. Learning from the lesson that hybrid buyers apparently prefer their cars to be recognizable as such rather than being derivatives of existing models, Honda has modeled the new Insight after its low volume FCX Clarity fuel cell car and will be debuting it as a concept at the Paris Motor Show next month before it goes on sale as the least expensive hybrid in the world in 2009. Recent comments by Honda have hinted at a price starting at $18,500 for the Insight, which goes on sale 10 years after the original. Unlike the tiny two-seater that had limited appeal and utility, this new one is expected to appeal to a much wider audience. Honda is planning for worldwide sales of 200,000 units a year with 100,000 going to the U.S. market.

[Source: Honda]

Schumacher gets caught speeding off the track

More speeding in products from the Volkswagen corporate empire; only this time, the driver was smart and didn't try to run. The driver in this Italian incident, none other than Michael Schumacher, is probably capable of evading the Caribinieri -- though maybe he's not as adept at handling a real car as he is behind the wheel of a four-wheeled fighter jet. Schumi exercised fine judgement and politely accepted his 75 Euro fine, which carries a three-point penalty on his license.

The racing champ told German newspaper Bild that he was "very sorry" and that "it's out of character" because "speeding is for racetracks only." Maybe something's lost in translation, but we have this urge to say "now we know, and knowing is half the battle" after that sparely worded statement.

[Source: F1-Live]

Mazda Kiyora city car concept

Mazda has confirmed its Paris Motor Show lineup, which will be led by the Kiyora concept, a water-themed, Nagare-styled city car built on a new platform that features a "next generation" direct-injected four-banger. No additional details have been relayed at this time, other than it's supposed to be lightweight and efficient, in keeping with Mazda's "Sustainable Zoom-Zoom" approach. (As an aside, you should know that it's quite amusing to watch grown adults actually say this stuff with a straight face at press conferences.) Also officially confirmed now is the updated MX-5, complete with the new happy face that hit the web on Wednesday. It's joined by the Mazda6 MZR-CD 2.2L diesel and the Mazda2 MZ-CD 1.6L diesel, both of which are also world premieres. As always, we'll be in Paris to bring it to you live next month.

Citroen Hypnos Hybrid CUV concept

Citroen looks content to carry on in its quirky ways with its latest concept, the Hypnos hybrid utility vehicle. Residing squarely in the same vein as new coupe-like crossovers like the BMW X6 and Infiniti FX models, the French machine goes that extra step towards the crazy house. From the renderings in our gallery below, the front doors appear so long and exagerated that the rear portals bottom-half is taken up entirely by the wheel wells. Things get even stranger from there with jewel-like seats and a DNA-style double-helix center section adorning the interior.

Under the hood will be a hybrid powertrain with an engine producing 200-horsepower plus an undetermined amount of force from the electric half of the drivetrain. This 50-mpg powertrain is one part of the concept that we hope is based in reality. Fortunately, we're pretty sure that these renderings are just conceptual while the real vehicle will debut in concept form at the upcoming Paris Motor Show in October.