A lot can go wrong when you take the original engine out of a car and replace it with another one. Trust me. My first car went through that process and it didn’t end well.
Then again, I’m not MR2QIK, nor do I own his 2009 IS F, which received top-notch work. The previous owner, fellow Club Lexus member ilv1004s, harvested the ’09’s 5.0-liter V8 to put it into a 2011 IS F race car, then took most of that machine’s hardware, including the engine, subframe, suspension, dashboard, instrument cluster, and wiring harnesses, and installed it in the older (can you even call it that now?) car.
MR2QIK then made his own mods, adding an Injen intake and a Borla header-back exhaust for improved sound. He dressed up his IS F with updated daytime running lights; an aggressive front lip, side skirts, and rear diffuser; and a carbon fiber ducktail.
Unfortunately, MR2QIK got rear ended, but after some time in the body shop, his IS F came back looking better than ever.
Thanks for sharing your updated and upgraded build with us, MR2QIK. Please keep the details and pictures coming.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
Where do you go for answers when you have a Lexus with a gorgeous leather interior but are not sure about how to maintain that luxurious look? The "Club Lexus" forums, of course.
