There are racers that try their hardest to build a sleeper and conceal their cars’ true abilities, and other that produce builds that just throw all the cards on the table and dare you to get some. Recently, video surfaced of a twin-turbo Lexus IS from Texas that has a small dose of sleeper but an even bigger dose of in-your-face power. This import is rocking some American muscle under the hood that propels it deep into the single digits with ease.
When you first gaze at this Lexus in full race trim, it looks like it has some teeth, between the race package wheels, the wing, and parachute hanging off the back — but its full abilities remain hidden. The owner reveals that this car is still street driven on the weekends and even to the local Cars and Coffee meets when weather permits.
When the hood is popped, the sleeper moniker gets dropped in a hurry with a large custom intake and pair of 62 mm Precision turbos being revealed. Providing a home for these go-fast goodies is a 5.3 liter, LSX based engine with some unknown contents, but based on the 1,200 horsepower claim made by the owner, the rotating assembly must be pretty stout.
To help put the power down, a Tremec TR-6060 six-speed transmission is used, along with a narrowed Ford 9-inch rear from The Driveshaft Shop that maintains the independent rear suspension configuration. High Tech Corvette captured footage of the Lexus running some very busy nine-second passes, with the car reportedly capable of running in the 8.70’s if it can catch traction.