Lexus's M3 rival spied

This is Lexus's answer to the BMW M3, spied testing on the famous Norschleife circuit in Germany.

Sources suggest that the Japanese manufacturer is working on shoehorning a V8 engine into the IS chassis - and the larger wheels and quad tailpipes of this test hack would indicate that it is making progress.

Lexus already has a 380bhp V8 in its arsenal, but reports suggest that engine could be bored out to 5.0 litres to boost power and give the IS a fighting chance against the next-gen M3 and Audi's RS4, both of which use V8s.