YOU HAD US AT 2JZ-GTE SWAP… WORDS Sam Du PHOTOS Terence Patrick
hen Gordon Ting debuted this 2JZ-powered 2014 Lexus IS at SEMA last year, it was bound to stir up some controversy. An old Toyota motor in a brand new luxury sedan… Was it crazy? Were people going to get offended? Yes and yes! But we had no objections to the idea; in fact, we loved it so much we wanted to put the world’s craziest third-generation Lexus IS on the cover! And why not throw in a bonus poster for you guys 20 SUPER STREET AUGUST 2014
while we’re at it! We don’t always give something with the Lexus badge this much attention. Most builds are either VIP, stance or simply too tame (or lame!). But Gordon was given the opportunity to build two new IS models and create some buzz. He hit not one, but two home runs with a show-stoppin’ IS 250 AWD (see P. 30), plus this panty-droppin’ IS 350… or shall we say, IS 340!
