1996 Lexus Es300 Base Sedan 4-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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Drive like a prince: Join us for a walk through Monaco's car collection

Small, crowded, and a royal pain in the trunk lid to drive into during rush hour, Monaco sounds like an improbable location for a huge car museum. And yet, this tiny city-state has been closely linked to car culture for over a century. It hosts two major racing events every year, many of its residents would qualify for a frequent shopper card if Rolls-Royce issued one, and Prince Rainier III began assembling a collection of cars in the late 1950s. He opened his collection to the public in 1993 and the museum quickly turned into a popular tourist attraction. The collection continued to grow after his death in April 2005; it moved to a new facility located right on Hercules Port in July 2022. Monaco being Monaco, you'd expect to walk into a room full of the latest, shiniest, and most powerful supercars ever to shred a tire. That's not the case: while there is no shortage of high-horsepower machines, the first cars you see after paying ˆ10 (approximately $11) to get in are pre-war models. In that era, the template for the car as we know it in 2023 hadn't been created, so an eclectic assortment of expensive and dauntingly experimental machines roamed whatever roads were available to them. One is the Leyat Helica, which was built in France in 1921 with a 1.2-liter air-cooled flat-twin sourced from the world of aviation. Fittingly, the two-cylinder spun a massive, plane-like propeller. Government vehicles get a special spot in the museum. They range from a Cadillac Series 6700 with an amusing blend of period-correct French-market yellow headlights and massive fins to a 2011 Lexus LS 600h with a custom-made transparent roof panel that was built by Belgian coachbuilder Carat Duchatelet for Prince Albert II's wedding. Here's where it all gets a little weird: you've got a 1952 Austin FX3, a Ghia-bodied 1959 Fiat 500 Jolly, a 1960 BMW Isetta, and a 1971 Lotus Seven. That has to be someone's idea of a perfect four-car garage.  One of the most significant cars in the collection lurks in the far corner of the main hall, which is located a level below the entrance. At first glance, it's a kitted-out Renault 4CV with auxiliary lights, a racing number on the front end, and a period-correct registration number issued in the Bouches-du-Rhone department of France. It doesn't look all that different than the later, unmodified 4CV parked right next to it. Here's what's special about it: this is one of the small handful of Type 1063 models built by Renault for competition.

Lexus comes to SEMA with a wine-dispensing crossover

While some manufacturers are going neck-deep into the tuner car world for SEMA this year, Lexus is keeping it classy with a restrained lineup of cars with lighter modifications. It made sure to hit all of them though, even the tiny UX subcompact crossover. Here's the rundown: 2019 Lexus RC 350 F Sport Cross Country Custom The idea on this one was to pick up a few different modifications from different shops as it's driven across the country. Along the route it's picked up some RS-R USA springs, Vossen forged wheels with Nitto performance tires, Apexi N1-X muffler, a satin wrap and blue underglow. There's not a whole lot to it now, but Lexus says there are still more modifications to come before it hits Los Angeles. 2019 Lexus UX 250h It's still a funky-looking crossover, but Lexus tried hard to make it stand out from the rest of the bland boxes on the road. The light blue wrap combined with an Apexi N1 suspension does the trick. These subcompact crossovers tend to look even more like hatchbacks once manufacturers lower them a couple inches — all that's left is to get rid of the unsightly black plastic cladding. This one has an Apexi N1 catback exhaust too. We can't imagine that sounds too hot with the CVT transmission in the UX though. 2019 Lexus ES 350 F Sport Wine lovers, here is the car for you. Lexus used the trunk area of this ES 350 to put a wine refrigerator, wine rack and glass holder. It did that, then made the flooring of the trunk out of oak barrel wood. To keep it upscale-feeling Lexus added a subtle Artisan Spirit aero kit and Rays Engineering 20-inch wheels. The Rolls-Royce Cullinan better watch out. 2018 Lexus LS F Sport The long Lexus looks a lot racier in this gray paint and 22-inch Work wheels. An aero kit brings it all closer to the ground without actually lowering it. Gigantic six-piston Brembo brakes in front and four-piston rears are painted in yellow, and look menacing within the big wheels. Related video:

2021 Lexus IS makeover will reportedly include V8 model

Come next year, things may get interesting for the Lexus IS, a car that currently is not the first to jump to mind when one thinks of compact, rear-wheel-drive sports sedans. The IS is rumored to be getting a major makeover for 2021, the most notable element of which is said to be the arrival of a V8-powered version. Don't call it an IS F, however; the model instead will be known as the IS 500. None of the above is official — the source of the V8 rumor is an Instagram post from allcarsnews, as surfaced by thedrive.com. As has been previously reported, the IS is going in for a major makeover for 2021, one that this outlet characterizes as being less than a complete redesign. It will, however, bring revised sheetmetal mirroring the look of the Lexus LS as well as a new interior. While the current engine lineup is said to carry over, this report says it will be joined by the brand's naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8. That engine powered the IS F, which was dropped after the 2014 model year, but in the 2021 car it, strangely, will be sold as the IS 500. That's the rumor, anyway. In the IS F, Toyota's 5.0-liter V8 made 416 horsepower and 371 lb-ft of torque. Currently, in the RC F coupe, it's putting out 472 horsepower and 395 lb-ft of torque. The IS 500 and its V8 would join an IS engine lineup that consists of a 2.0-liter turbo four with 241 horsepower and a 260-hp 3.5-liter V6 in the IS 300, plus a 311-hp 3.5-liter V6 in the IS 350. Today's sportiest variant is the IS 350 F-Sport Blackline Edition (pictured). If true, this could be a brief last hurrah for Toyota's 5.0L V8. Previous reports have claimed that by 2022, Toyota and Lexus plan to eliminate V8s from any vehicle costing less than $90k, and as part of that move, Toyota will drop its 5.7-liter truck engine as well. Related video: