{"id":15177026,"date":"2026-06-24T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T21:54:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T01:54:59","slug":"building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a Lexus GS 430 to Beat Germany\u2019s Best"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media-component sl-media js-media-component js-pin-data sl-element sl-significant-element\" id=\"element-189778\" data-pin-params=\"{&quot;url_to_share&quot;:null,&quot;utm_medium&quot;:null,&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;utm_media&quot;:9837886,&quot;utm_syndication_post&quot;:null,&quot;path&quot;:&quot;2026\/06\/24\/15241.jpg&quot;}\">\n<div class=\"rs-photo-wrap js-media-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"media-wrap js-media-wrap js-pin-item relative sl-photo-wrap\" style=\"max-width:min(100%, 720px);aspect-ratio: 1.753\">\n<div class=\"socials flex js-social-btn\">\n                    <a class=\"button float-button share-button sb-button sb-facebook js-fb-share\" data-ht-track=\"Share Facebook Overlay\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\"><br \/>\n                        <span class=\"si-facebook\"><\/span><br \/>\n                    <\/a><br \/>\n    <a class=\"button float-button share-button sb-button sb-pinterest js-pin-button js-no-pintack hidden sl-pinterest-button\" data-allowed-for-syndication=\"0\" data-ht-track=\"Share Pinterest Overlay\" aria-label=\"Pin this photo\"><br \/>\n        <span class=\"si-pinterest\"><\/span><br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>                    <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"building a lexus gs 430 to beat germanys best\" class=\"sl-post-image sl-syndication-image media-item-track\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-fastly.thetruthaboutcars.com\/media\/2026\/06\/24\/15241\/building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best.jpg?size=720x845&amp;nocrop=1\" width=\"720\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.753\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-block sl-post-text sl-paragraph sl-element \" id=\"element-189781\">\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@speedacademy\/videos\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Speed Academy<\/a>\u00a0is a website and YouTube channel based on making things go fast and enjoying cars. Peter Tarach and Dave Pratte are the forces behind Speed Academy. <\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"media-component sl-media js-media-component js-pin-data sl-element sl-significant-element\" id=\"element-189787\" data-pin-params=\"{&quot;url_to_share&quot;:null,&quot;utm_medium&quot;:null,&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;utm_media&quot;:9837964,&quot;utm_syndication_post&quot;:null,&quot;path&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/cdn-fastly.thetruthaboutcars.com\/media\/2026\/06\/24\/15262\/post.jpg&quot;}\">\n<div class=\"video-outer-wrap sl-element\">\n<div class=\"video-wrapper sl-post-video sl-video-wrapper js-video-wrapper\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-block sl-post-text sl-paragraph sl-element sl-significant-element\" id=\"element-189790\">\n<p><i>The\u00a0<\/i><b><i>TTAC Creators Series<\/i><\/b><i>\u00a0tells stories and amplifies creators from all corners of the car world, including culture, dealerships, collections, modified builds and more.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>An AI-produced summary of the transcript, edited by a staffer, is below.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>[Image: Speed Academy\/YouTube Thumbnail]<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><i>Become a\u00a0TTAC insider. Get the latest\u00a0news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by\u00a0<\/i><i> <a href=\"https:\/\/email.thetruthaboutcars.com\/newsletter-signup\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">subscribing to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a><\/i><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Summary: Speed Academy&#8217;s Lexus GS 430 &#8220;M5 Killer&#8221; Project<\/b><\/p>\n<p>In this episode,\u00a0<b>Speed Academy&#8217;s Peter Tarach and Dave Pratte<\/b>\u00a0introduce their latest project: transforming a humble 2001 Lexus GS 430 into a performance sedan capable of challenging the legendary BMW E60 M5 \u2014 while retaining Lexus reliability and comfort.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><b>The Premise<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The hosts compare the GS 430 to the BMW E60 M5:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"listul\">\n<li>\n<ul class=\"listul\">\n<li>The E60 M5 offered a Formula 1-inspired V10 and 500 horsepower but became notorious for complexity, maintenance costs, and reliability concerns.<\/li>\n<li>The Lexus GS430, by contrast, uses Toyota&#8217;s durable 3UZ-FE 4.3-liter V8, known for longevity and smooth operation.<\/li>\n<li>Their goal is to create an &#8220;M5 killer&#8221; using forced induction and suspension upgrades while spending far less money than an M5 owner would.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Evaluating the Purchase<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The newly acquired GS 430 arrived from British Columbia and immediately impressed the team:<\/p>\n<p><b>Positives<\/b><\/p>\n<ul class=\"listul\">\n<li>\n<ul class=\"listul\">\n<li>Original pearl white paint appears largely untouched.<\/li>\n<li>Body is exceptionally straight with virtually no dents or major damage.<\/li>\n<li>Interior is remarkably clean for a 25-year-old luxury sedan.<\/li>\n<li>Timing belt service has been completed.<\/li>\n<li>Engine bay is largely original and unmodified.<\/li>\n<li>Underside shows minimal rust and no significant oil leaks.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Negatives<\/b><\/p>\n<ul class=\"listul\">\n<li>\n<ul class=\"listul\">\n<li>Cracked aftermarket fog light covered with tape.<\/li>\n<li>Faded headlights.<\/li>\n<li>Loose rear spoiler.<\/li>\n<li>Poorly installed aftermarket alarm system.<\/li>\n<li>Malfunctioning door locks and actuators.<\/li>\n<li>Cheap aftermarket Sony head unit.<\/li>\n<li>Evidence of questionable stereo wiring modifications.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>The Legendary 3UZ V8<\/b><\/p>\n<p>A major reason for choosing the GS 430 is Toyota&#8217;s highly respected 3UZ-FE V8:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"listul\">\n<li>\n<ul class=\"listul\">\n<li>Factory output: approximately 300 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque.<\/li>\n<li>Known for exceptional reliability and smoothness.<\/li>\n<li>Viewed as a strong foundation for significant power increases through forced induction.<\/li>\n<li>The engine shows no signs of major leaks and appears well maintained.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Discovering Previous Owner &#8220;Engineering&#8221;<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Much of the episode&#8217;s humor comes from uncovering questionable modifications:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"listul\">\n<li>\n<ul class=\"listul\">\n<li>A hacked-up stereo installation left cut wires throughout the trunk.<\/li>\n<li>The muffler delete is described as one of the worst they&#8217;ve ever seen.<\/li>\n<li>Exhaust components were crudely welded together.<\/li>\n<li>A rubber glove had been stuffed into the exhaust mounting area to reduce rattles.<\/li>\n<li>Homemade hangers and poor weld quality highlighted the previous owner&#8217;s shortcuts.\u00a0Pasted text.txt<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Driving Impressions<\/b><\/p>\n<p>On the road, the hosts find the GS 430:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"listul\">\n<li>\n<ul class=\"listul\">\n<li>Noticeably lighter and more agile than the larger Lexus LS 430.<\/li>\n<li>Smooth and refined, as expected from a Lexus V8 sedan.<\/li>\n<li>Faster-feeling than the LS 430 thanks to reduced weight.<\/li>\n<li>Comfortable but excessively soft, with suspension upgrades clearly needed.<\/li>\n<li>Pleasant sounding despite the crude muffler delete.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What They Paid<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The car cost:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"listul\">\n<li>\n<ul class=\"listul\">\n<li>Just under\u00a0<b>$6,000\u00a0<\/b>at the time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The hosts believe this leaves plenty of budget for modifications while still remaining far cheaper than a comparable performance sedan.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><b>Planned Modifications<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The project&#8217;s ultimate goal is to create a Japanese luxury sedan with genuine performance credentials.<\/p>\n<p>Planned upgrades include:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"listul\">\n<li>\n<ul class=\"listul\">\n<li>A large supercharger for the 3UZ V8.<\/li>\n<li>JDM front bumper and TRD front lip.<\/li>\n<li>Full TRD body kit.<\/li>\n<li>TEIN coilovers.<\/li>\n<li>TEIN EDFC electronic damping controller.<\/li>\n<li>New brake pads and rotors.<\/li>\n<li>Special wheels to enhance the car&#8217;s appearance and handling.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Main Takeaway<\/b><\/p>\n<p>This episode serves as the introduction to a budget-minded performance build that flips the traditional German-vs.-Japanese luxury car narrative. Rather than chasing an aging BMW M5 with its expensive maintenance requirements, Speed Academy plans to prove that a reliable, overlooked Lexus GS 430 can deliver comparable thrills through smart modifications, culminating in a supercharged V8 sports sedan with strong JDM character.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"inmi-source\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutcars.com\/cars\/news-blog\/building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best-45135613?utm_medium=auto&amp;utm_source=rss&amp;utm_campaign=all_full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Autos \u2013 The Truth About Cars<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Speed Academy &nbsp;is a website and YouTube channel based on making things go fast and enjoying cars. Peter Tarach and Dave Pratte are the forces behind Speed Academy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15177028,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[219],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15177026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-autos"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15177026-building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best.jpg",720,845,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15177026-building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best-300x352.jpg",300,352,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15177026-building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best-620x728.jpg",620,728,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15177026-building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best.jpg",720,845,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15177026-building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best.jpg",720,845,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15177026-building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best.jpg",720,845,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15177026-building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best.jpg",720,845,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15177026-building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best-720x665.jpg",720,665,true],"ignition_item":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15177026-building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best-670x446.jpg",670,446,true],"ignition_item_lg":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15177026-building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best.jpg",720,845,false],"ignition_article_media":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15177026-building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best-510x510.jpg",510,510,true],"ignition_minicart_item":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15177026-building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best-160x160.jpg",160,160,true],"profile_24":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15177026-building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best-24x24.jpg",24,24,true],"profile_48":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15177026-building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best-48x48.jpg",48,48,true],"profile_96":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15177026-building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best-96x96.jpg",96,96,true],"profile_150":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15177026-building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"profile_300":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15177026-building-a-lexus-gs-430-to-beat-germanys-best-300x300.jpg",300,300,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"news.iNthacity","author_link":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/author\/atombo\/"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/articles\/autos\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Autos<\/a>","tag_info":"Autos","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15177026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15177026"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15177026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15177027,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15177026\/revisions\/15177027"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15177028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15177026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15177026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15177026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}