Lexus’ sport sedan lineup is a little light these days — the IS and its IS500 F Sport Performance trim is the brand’s only enthusiast-oriented sedan offering. That wasn’t always the case back when sedans like the Lexus GS existed. The GS lasted four generations here in the U.S., and it even got its own high-performance F variant, but Japan got a rarer and more unique version of the sedan that even had all-wheel drive.
In its home market of Japan, the first two generations of Lexus GS were sold as the Toyota Aristo. The original Aristo made its debut in 1991, with the Lexus version following two years later. Wearing handsome styling penned by Italdesign, the Aristo was, as Toyota described, a “high-performance 4-door sedan.” While U.S. buyers could only have the GS with Toyota’s 2JZ-GE inline-6 making 227 horsepower, Aristo customers in Japan had two other engine options: a turbocharged version of the same I6 or an optional V8, which on paper read like an enthusiast’s special.
The V8-powered Aristo was called the Aristo V8 i-Four. Toyota dropped in its 1UZ-FE 4.0-liter V8 that debuted in the original LS400, and then threw on its All-Trac all-wheel-drive system, which was rebranded i-Four for the Aristo and some other Toyota models. It also received a limited-slip differential and an adjustable air suspension, the latter of which was not offered on other Aristos and GS trims. The result was a sedan that, despite its specs, apparently wasn’t as great to drive as you’d think.
Only a few thousand Aristo V8 i-Fours were made, and information about it online is a little sparse, but from what I gathered the added weight of the V8 engine and AWD system hurt its driving dynamics. Plus, despite making 250 horsepower some said the V8 was as slow as the standard six-cylinder Aristo, and the optional turbocharged inline-6 proved to be the superior engine and more of an enthusiasts draw. While it was smaller in displacement, the twin-turbo 2JZ-GE made more power than the V8 at 275 hp. Without the added weight of two more cylinders and an all-wheel-drive system, it was faster and handled better than the Aristo V8.
When the Aristo was redesigned for the 1997 model year, the V8 option was dropped in Japan, with the 2JZ-GE engine and its turbocharged variant being the only options. Lexus kept the V8 for U.S. buyers, though, and in a response to customer requests for more power gave it 300 hp. Even if the Aristo V8 i-Four’s performance wasn’t that great, they’re now a rare oddity of automotive history, and are pretty cheap if you can find one for sale and import it. In the right hands, a bit of tuning could turn one into the ultimate sleeper.