Created as a premium carmaker, Lexus has taken big steps into the high-performance realm in recent years with its F-badged models and the LFA sports car. The current IS is one of the few Lexus automobiles that has yet to receive the full-fledged F treatment, but the brand has come up with another way to offer a hot version of the sedan. It goes by the name IS Sriracha and it was unveiled at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show.

If you're not familiar with sriracha, you should know that it's a type of hot sauce that originated from Thailand. Why would you name a car after a dipping sauce? Well, it turns out Lexus wanted to spice things up in the tuning segment and teamed up with Huy Fong Foods, a California-based manufacturer that produces the most famous sriracha sauce in the U.S. Built by the folks over at West Coast Customs, the IS Sriracha is quite the unique build and essentially a tribute to the hot dipping sauce.

As you'd expect from a chili-inspired vehicle, it is painted red. However, the hue is far from common. According to Lexus, the Sriracha Red paint was designed "to mimic Sriracha sauce inside the bottle and topped with a clear coating." The automaker also says it has experimented with a range of mixtures and methods, including... wait for it... adding sriracha sauce to the paint itself. Talk about innovation...

The sedan also features a large Huy Fong rooster logo on the front fenders and several details in green, the official signature color of Huy Fong Foods. These include the "Spindle" grille outline and brake calipers. Another crazy feature is the bespoke key fob that includes an emergency chili button that dispenses the sauce from a nozzle. Just in case drivers need more chili on their burgers.

Inside, the chili theme continues with a red steering wheel made by casting a Sriracha-like liquid in resin. The unit features a “Hot Handling” logo and chili-like flakes. There's also leather seats with the Huy Fong rooster logo and green accents, green ambient lighting, and a special Sriracha Mode that tunes the powertrain for faster gear changes and more dynamic throttle mapping. Finally, the trunk is stocked with 43 bottles of Sriracha for "emergency condiment situations."

I've been there once, so yeah, that's a good idea!

There's no word as to what lurks under the hood, but the IS 300 AWD badge suggests that motivation comes from a 3.5-liter V-6 rated at 255 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. It's not the hottest IS out there, but it's not slow either. The car also comes with two unique jackets that feature hand-embroidered images of the Sriracha IS and custom Sriracha IS patches, as well as custom... oven mitts.

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Why it matters

I have to admit I really like the Sriracha IS, but it might have something to do with the fact that I enjoy spicy food. However, I also like it because it's a different take in a tuning segment that has so much to offer that it makes it really difficult to stand out. Lexus' chili-inspired sedan is definitely a hot build and quite serious despite its design being based on a dipping sauce. Granted, this car is more suitable for the SEMA Show rather than a standard automotive event, but it's great to see a custom build among production models. And before you ask, no, Lexus probably won't turn the Sriracha IS into a special-edition model. So you'd better stock up on chili sauce!

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