Could The CCS-R See Production?
Don’t hold your breath, but the word from IS-F Chief Engineer Yukihiko Yaguchi in Lexus magazine is that the CCS-R might see the light of day. That is, if interest is strong enough.
Lexus Magazine interviewed Mr. Yaguchi at the Pike’s Peak hill-climb last month. In addition to discussing why the car was brought to the mountain in the first place, he also clarified Lexus’ purpose for building it. In truth, the CCS-R is a strange exercise for a manufacturer to take. It’s more like a production car than an concept, or racer.
Mr. Yaguchi say’s he intends the CCS-R to be the ultimate version of the IS-F. He intends to bring the characteristics from this club sport car into the next IS-F production model. More interesting than that, he states that they’ll put the car into limited production if there’s enough demand for it.
We’re not sure how keen IS owners are on a track-toy version of the IS-F. Porsche has a similar style of car with their GT3RS, which is basically a street-legal race car. Mercedes and BMW come close with the C63 AMG Black, and the M3 CSL, but neither are really a direct analogue. To be fair, the market for super hardcore track cars is extremely niche. As much as I love the idea of a race-anywhere IS-F, I’m not convinced enough people feel the same way to make it a reality.
Then again… There are a lot of people who love drifting. A stripped out, track focused IS-F could easily find a place in that crowd.