Look out, LC300! This tough new Lexus LX is a Baja 1000 beast

Anybody who reckons Lexus is just a brand for luxury-loving folks needs to take note of this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon aftermarket car show, where a LandCruiser-based LX600 stood proud, fresh from one of the hardest off-road races in the world.

The beast came out of the brains of engineers from Lexus and SUV aftermarket equipment company Jaos and is officially called the Lexus LX600 Offroad Team Jaos.

We first saw an early take on the LX600 Offroad by Jaos and Lexus at last year's Tokyo Auto Salon, but this latest version is the vehicle which was entered in the gruelling off-road Baja 1000 race in the Participation Class: Stock Full Class. 

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The Stock Full Class is for unmodified commercial vehicles, and while much of the LX600 is identical to the road-going version, such as the 305kW/650Nm 3.5-litre V6 - and the SUV is based on the formidably off-road capable LandCruiser 300 - there were some changes that needed to be made.

The mods made include Open Country R/T 35 x12.5 R17LT Toyo Tyres, Jaos Tribe Cross Racing wheels, racing suspension, fender flares, underguard, towing hooks, light bars, upgraded brakes, a 200L fuel tank, stainless steel exhaust system, radios, jacks, two extra spare wheels, upgraded battery, Toyota Boshoku sports seat and a Jaos suede steering wheel.

Oh, and they had to install a roll cage, which meant removing just about the entire interior.

Team Jaos has a three-year plan - enter the LX600 Offroad in the 2022 Baja race, then finish the race in 2023, and win the 2024 race for the category.

Team Jaos entered a LX600 Offroad in the Baja 1000 race in the Stock Full Class. 

So while 2022 was just a test, this year the team will aim to finish the 1333km race through Mexico.

And if it’s any consolation to the Jaos team, only one one road-legal entrant finished the Baja 1000 last year - a Ford Ranger Raptor which was readied for the race by former Supercars team Kelly Racing and Ford Performance Australia.