Lexus IS Mystery Solved: It Was An Endurance Racer In Germany With The Candlestick

Remember that mystery Lexus IS circling the ring last week? Due to the camo, guesses as to what it could be ranged from a new hybrid to a mid-cycle refresh. Turns out that the most obvious answer was right: it's a race car. Those questionable hood bumps were merely an illusion created by the camouflage. This is the TME/Team Gazoo IS 250, which competes in the ADAC endurance series and can be seen fighting for the Rennstrecken Trophy at the ring. The fastest lap? Just under 10:58. Though not quite Cadillac CTS-V fast, the IS is in a group that only allows vehicles with displacements from 2.0- to 2.5-liters (sorry Lexus IS-F). The spy report from those Columbos at KGP below the jump.

Lexus IS Spy Report

Last week's appearance of a disguised, and suspiciously fade-painted Lexus IS led to much speculation about the true nature of the camouflaged test car. Guesses on the ID of the IS ranged from a mid-cycle facelift for the production car, a new Hybrid model, while the roll cage, Recaros and trick paint suggested it was a Lexus-sponsored race car.

With its camouflage-free appearance at the ADAC Rundstrecken Trophy Endurance race in Germany, the mystery is now solved. Those who guessed race car turned out to be right. The hood bumps under the camouflage that triggered much of the Hybrid speculation are nowhere to be found once the coverings were removed.

The TME/Team Gazoo IS competed in the first of seven four-hour endurance races. One six-hour and a 24-hour race complete the nine-race series. The newly identified IS race car is registered as a Lexus IS 250 in group SP5. Group SP5 consists of cars between 2.0- and 2.5-liters, with a minimum weight of 2,270 pounds. The race-prepped IS logged a fastest lap of just under 10:58, and an overall finish of 95th place with 21 laps covered over the 4 hours.