Lexus IS Wax Edition unveiled with onboard vinyl record player
An audiophile's dream that'll have to remain exactly that, as this show car is a one-off.
The US subsidiary of Lexus has produced a one-off 'Wax Edition' based on its IS medium sedan.
As the name suggests, the vehicle features an inbuilt record player in lieu of its glovebox.
The vehicle was built as a promotional exercise with music publication Pitchfork, as part of their "Driven by Sound" documentary series.
Lexus involved Los Angeles-based production house SCPS to help outfit the showroom-specification IS350 F Sport for show-car duties.
As record players have a tendency to skip when subjected to vibration, it wasn't a simple exercise to integrate one into a moving car. As a result, the player features a motor to "help stabilise the turntable to avoid skipping while the vehicle is in motion".
Furthermore, Lexus went to the extent of re-tuning the vehicle's suspension to help its new cause.
The record player is large enough accept to a full-size 12-inch record. The analogue signal it produces is fed through the car's 17-speaker Mark Levinson-branded stereo system via an upgraded amplifier.
The Lexus IS Wax Edition will remain a one-off show car and "will not be for sale", according to the brand.
In the 1950s and 1960s US-based manufacturer CBS Electronics built an internal record player for cars known as the Highway Hi-Fi. While the product was heavily promoted by celebrities at the time (shown below with George Harrison) – and Chrysler briefly offered the Hi-Fi system as an option in some vehicles – the idea never caught on.
Vinyl records have undergone a revival recently, with 2021 set to see the sales of wax overtake CDs for the first time in Australia.
Senior Journalist
Justin Narayan’s first automotive gig was at a community motorsport magazine whilst studying journalism at university. He finished up early, taking on his first full-time role, as a motoring writer. Justin has spent 13 years working across all facets of the automotive world, and understands the industry well, from the inside. After initially starting his career as a motoring writer, Justin went on to hold multiple roles at marketing agencies specialising in the automotive sector. He later moved onto corporate roles, holding numerous marketing and product planning positions with brands such as Audi, Kia, Subaru, Peugeot and Citroen. As Head of Product Planning for French brands Peugeot and Citroen, Justin was responsible for drafting an award-winning product range and in 2019 was on the receiving end of a prestigious Drive Car of the Year Award for the Peugeot Expert. Having worked inside the core of the automotive industry, he brings unique experience to the Drive editorial team. Outside of work, he is a passionate car enthusiast, who owns multiple new, and classic vehicles.
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