This Lexus IS500 Special Edition Is the Rarest V-8 of All

The IS500 Ultimate Edition gets special paint and wheels. It's limited to just 500 units in North America.

Photo by: Lexus

By: Jeff Perez

May 19, 2025 at 8:00pm ET

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Believe it or not, the Lexus IS500 is the last naturally aspirated V-8 luxury sedan still on sale in the US today. To honor that fact, Lexus is rolling out a special IS500 Ultimate Edition trim for North America that's limited to just 500 units.

Nearly all of the IS500 Ultimate Edition's upgrades are visual—starting with the paint. An exclusive metallic light gray finish called Wind covers the exterior, while the custom 19-inch BBS wheels are finished in a subtle matte black.

The interior features Circuit Red leather with black accents and red seat belts. The seats themselves wear Lexus's NuLuxe faux leather and suede, while a custom serialized badge on the dash is a good way to show off this car's exclusivity.

Under the hood is the same naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V-8 that makes this car so great in the first place. It still produces 472 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque, with the eight-speed automatic transmission sending power to the rear wheels. The Ultimate Edition adds additional stopping power in the form of Brembo six-piston calipers up front, finished in red paint.

Lexus won't say how much the IS500 Ultimate Edition costs just yet, but given its exclusivity and special touches, expect a premium over the 2025 model's $60,595 starting price.