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Lexus RC F police cruiser set to patrol Australia's highways

Planning a trip down to Australia? Better keep an eye on the speedometer. Because with this latest set of wheels, the local cops should have little trouble chasing you down. It's a Lexus RC F coupe that's been specially outfitted to join the police motor pool in the southern region of New South Wales. Details on how it's set up for official duty are scarce, but as you can see, it features special graphics as well as flashing lights on the dashboard and rear shelf. There's probably special communications equipment installed as well, but we doubt the Aussie bobbies will be trying to squeeze any perps into the back seat. The Japanese performance coupe is slated for use in a number of applications, one of them being to promote road safety. We're not sure how a 467-horsepower V8 luxury coupe gets that message across, exactly. But even though it's not quite as impressive as what they've added to the fleet in Dubai, the RC F ought to garner some attention at events like the Bathurst Six Hour race and the MS Sydney to the Gong bike ride where it'll be on display. And just in case it's put on highway patrol, we'd suggest locals and visitors exorcise their speed demons on the Stuart Highway up north and keep their right feet light on the streets in NSW. Related Video:

Toyota Hilux gets heart transplant from Lexus IS F

The Toyota Hilux might not be sold in the US, but Toyota's venerable pickup has an international reputation of being able to go anywhere and do just about anything. The trucks aren't really known for their speed, though, at least until Toyota South Africa Motorsport's new, one-off project. This bruiser ditches the usual diesel engine and replaces it with an unrestricted 5.0-liter V8 from a Lexus IS F making 449 horsepower. Of course, it takes more than power to handle the rigors of high speed off-roading. The motorsport team also adds bigger, competition-spec brakes, fully adjustable dampers, new springs, and retuned gearing to make the truck look practically ready for the Dakar Rally. The gearbox is really the only part that carries over. The V8 gives the special Hilux quite a mean growl, too. With the new Tacoma just launching in the US, maybe the engineers at TRD need to apply this same concept over here for its own Lexus-engined, one-off pickup.

New Toyota Supra may get a twin-turbo Lexus V6

We've heard endless rumors that a successor to the much loved and much missed Toyota Supra is in the works. Toyota hasn't done much to deny these conversations. On the contrary, the FT-1 concept from two years ago and the partnership with BMW have only fueled the fire. Now, talk of a new Lexus engine has led to speculation about the supposed Supra's powertrain. To be clear, this is mostly heresay. Few things have actually been confirmed, but based on what we know a few conclusions can be drawn. We know that BMW and Toyota are working on a joint product. We've seen mules testing out in the wild. In BMW guise, the possibly Austrian-built car will more than likely powered by turbocharged inline four and six-cylinder engines. Unless Toyota wants to use Bimmer power, they'll need to shoehorn one of their own under the hood. That leads us to this rumor of a twin-turbocharged V6 that will presumably power the new Lexus GS and LS. Japanese automotive publication Mag-X first reported on this engine. It was then picked up by YouWheel and Car Keys. Mag-X cites Toyota insiders and even gives an engine code, 943F. This engine allegedly will make more than 400 horsepower and more than 300 lb-ft of torque. While unconfirmed, this makes sense for Lexus. Nearly every luxury competitor has a six-cylinder engine with forced induction. While Toyota has previously had turbocharged inline-sixes, they've never produced a factory turbo V6. Every automaker is downsizing engines in an effort to meet fuel economy and emissions regulations. Toyota and Lexus will follow suit. Taking that V6 and tuning it for a performance application is a solid, if unverified, possibility. Related Video: