Lexus isn't exactly the first brand you'd think of when you picture premium convertibles. The Japanese company has always been better at building large luxury sedans and beefy SUVs like the Lexus LS ...

One of our editors was recently pondering the Lexus IS Convertible, its oddly available manual transmission, and what one might sound like while blasting manual V6 music out a set of Magnaflow pipes.

"Oh my god, it sounds like a freakin' NASCAR," my friend exclaims as I stomp on the throttle to merge onto the freeway. There's a huge V8 revving under the hood in front of me and a pair of exhaust ...