‘Oddball’ CT 200H Is Strangely Cool

Unique Lexus Could Only Remain Stock for So Long. Smoking Tire Finds out What She’s Packing

In the “One Take” video above, The Smoking Tire‘s Matt Farah would like you to meet Reynold and his modified 2013 Lexus CT 200h F Sport. Even if Matt does spend the whole video calling him “Raymond.”

That’s not for lack of respect, though. As Farah is clearly impressed by Reynold’s “oddball” Lexus. And, needless to say, so are we.

Farah calls the car an “oddball” not because of anything Reynold did to the hot hatch. But rather, what he didn’t do. Unlike any car we’ve seen in the “One Take” series, Reynold’s ride has no engine mods whatsoever.

Instead, Reynold wanted to keep the car’s excellent fuel economy for his long commute. However, he also wanted better handling and feel for track days and autocrossing. So he concentrated on modifying the suspension, brakes and shoes.

As is par for the “One Take” course, Farah takes the car out for a spin while having the owner sit shotgun and explain all the custom work. He’s immediately compelled to ask about the ever-spendy Sparco SPX Carbon Fiber seats. Reynold explains that though each one is worth its weight in gold, they also shed some serious car weight.

Obviously, there’s been quite an investment put into this car. But Reynold is confident that it’s fully insured, and Farah says the car is definitely “better” now that it’s been tweaked.

Though we’d contend the Lexus CT 200h was already pretty darn good to begin with, it’s hard to argue with the results here, especially when you see how happy they make Reynold. And isn’t that what Lexus ownership is all about?

Enjoy the vid. Just a heads up before you watch, though: there’s a bit of NSFW language involved.