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Lexus bringing next-gen IS to Detroit

With ES, GS and LS models all now minty fresh at your local Lexus showroom, it was only a matter of time before we had official word that the company's IS had a replacement in the wings. That word has come down today in an ultra brief press release that names the date and venue that the sheet will be pulled on the new car: January 15th in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show.
Don't pay too much attention to the test mule in these dusty spy shots, we're told that the small Lexus has been "completely redesigned" from the inside out and that it has drawn inspiration from the sultry LF-CC concept car. In LA we learned that the LF-CC has been green-lit for production, so we'd expect to see a lot of cues from that car (in the gallery below) lifted directly for the all-new IS. New fang-face, here we come.
While a coupe and a convertible version of the next IS are undoubtedly in the cards, too, we'd guess that the sedan will be first to go on stage at Detroit next month.

Lexus IS to get Deviant at SEMA

It's time to start gathering intel on SEMA, and it starts with this drawing of a modified 2014 Lexus IS. Lexus ran a competition on DeviantART, an online community for artists, to find a suitably modified IS that it could build and display at the temple of all things aftermarket in Las Vegas. The winner, as judged by a four-person panel from among more than 600 entries, is the IS rendered above by Rob Evans.
The winner looks like the beginning of a build for an IS entry into Japan's Super GT series, with a seriously exaggerated front spoiler and rear diffuser and fender flares that aren't just punched out, they're throwing 12-punch combinations.
Evans will have his car built by VIP Auto Salon and plastered all over Lexus materials promoting its presence at the show. Oh, and he gets an IS F-Sport for a year, among other prizes. Second place went to Lucia Lee, third place to Guangho Huang. A press release below has more on the competition and the winner.

Online Find of the Day: Lexus-engined Mercedes pickup is a vintage hybrid

You have to love someone who gets incredibly committed to a very weird idea. What you see for sale here is a right-hand drive 1971 Mercedes-Benz 220D in South Africa, but this old Mercedes is now converted into a pickup, complete with bed cover, and there's big secret under the hood, too.
The pickup conversion appears well done based on seller Sedgefield Classic Cars' photos. Even the tonneau cover fits well. You could almost believe that this Mercedes lived its life as a Chevrolet El Camino-like pickup from the very beginning.
However, the rear-quarters conversion might not be the weirdest thing about this Mercedes. The original diesel is gone from the engine bay in favor of a Lexus V8. It seems really odd to pop the hood and find a Japanese mill in this German car, but the photos make it look like a fairly well performed swap. So, bravo to the crazy thinking. According to the seller speaking to Autoblog by email, "as far as we can establish, this was done a few years ago, with all Lexus components."