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Autoblog’s First Drive of the Lexus LFA

Autoblog’s first drive writeup of the Lexus LFA does a great job of putting the reader in the drivers seat: Nestled into the stylish yet supremely comfortable seats, Toyota’s attention to detail continued to assault every fiber of my being. I can’t remember the last time I was excited about seat controls (never?), but the …

Kevin · October 26th, 2009

Road & Track Interviews Lexus LFA Chief Engineer

Along with their driving impressions and technical analysis, Road & Track also had a chance to ask Lexus LFA chief engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi a few questions: What were the most difficult challenges you faced? This is difficult to answer. In Toyota, the highest-performance car we had in the past was the Supra. It had its …

Kevin · October 26th, 2009

Road & Track Drives the Lexus LFA

Road & Track has turned in their first impressions of the 2011 Lexus LFA: On the roads around the Nürburgring, the LFA is docile. Even with 560 bhp on tap, the car doesn’t need to be driven in anger to appreciate its power and road-hugging ability. Put the paddle-shift transmission in the sportiest setting and …

Kevin · October 26th, 2009

Lexus LFA to make North American Debut Next Month

The Lexus LFA will be making its North American debut at November’s SEMA trade show in Las Vegas as it starts a serious cross country tour: The highly anticipated LFA supercar, which just made its global debut at the Tokyo Motor Show, will be on display for the first time in North America at two …

Kevin · October 22nd, 2009

Edmunds Drives the Lexus LFA

The Lexus LFA writeup at Edmunds Inside Line is a real delight to read: This is a staggering engine. It likes to be revved hard, but with 90 percent of the torque output available from 3,700 rpm there’s none of the low-rpm languor that blights other high-revving motors. Lexus claims the LFA with its six-speed, …

Kevin · October 22nd, 2009

More Lexus LFA First Drives

When the Lexus LFA launched yesterday, a media embargo was lifted and the gates sure opened up! Here’s a couple more first drive articles: Auto Week Auto Week’s Mark Vaughn gives a detailed description of what it’s like to drive the supercar, along with a great quote from the LFA chief engineer: “In our religious …

Kevin · October 21st, 2009

C&D Drives the Lexus LFA

Car and Driver has posted up their early impressions of the Lexus LFA: Lexus claims multiple justifications for the LFA program. The car, it says, casts a halo over the Lexus F line of performance machines. It’s also a way for Toyota to explore new technologies, particularly carbon-fiber construction. And since Lexus says it will …

Kevin · October 21st, 2009

Build Your Own Lexus LFA

Lexus has launched a global site for the LFA, and it includes a very fun configurator, which allows you to build your very own LFA: The exterior color selection alone is a wild spectrum of colors, including Passionate Pink and Lime Green—I tried my hand at my very own LFA: (If I was seriously buying …

Kevin · October 21st, 2009

Official Lexus LFA Introduction Video

This official Lexus LFA video, which was shown right before the supercar’s introduction at the Tokyo Motor Show, is hands-down the best thing you will see today, I promise: The production value of both this video and the official press photos is absolutely fantastic—they really show the LFA in the best possible light. As a …

Kevin · October 21st, 2009

Full Lexus LFA Press Release

The Lexus LFA was launched late last night, and the deluge of information today is expectedly overwhelming. There’s plenty to get through, so let’s start off today with the full press release from Lexus GB. KEY POINTS Lexus’s 21st century supercar delivers extreme, race-bred performance, with advanced technologies and absolute exclusivity Powered by mid-front mounted …

Kevin · October 21st, 2009

Lexus LFA Press Launch Video

The Lexus LFA press conference at the Tokyo Motorshow just ended minutes ago, and already a video of the launch has been posted online: I’m looking forward to a translation of Akio Toyoda’s speech—I’ve been told that an official video will be published online at 6pm JDT (3am PST/6am EST)—which should have some subtitles. Look …

Kevin · October 20th, 2009

Official Lexus LFA Photos (& Specs) Leaked!

It’s a full-on torrent of Lexus LFA information—first there was the leaked press video and photos from the streets of Miami—now it’s the official press photos leaked early by Italian website Omni Auto: Along with the photos was a breakdown of all the important performance specifications: 4.8L 72-degree V10 pushing out 560hp at 8,700 RPM …

Kevin · October 20th, 2009

Lexus LFA Uncovered!

Only hours before its official launch at the Tokyo Motor Show, a video has been posted showing the uncovered Lexus LFA in all its glory: Not only that, two Lexus LFAs has been spotted in Miami by NAGTROC member Adrey, presumably for a press launch tomorrow: {embed=“site/gallery” gallery_id=“1391”}

Kevin · October 20th, 2009

Lexus LFA World Premiere

After five long years of development, Lexus will be announcing the production model LFA at the Tokyo Motor Show on October 21st, 11:10am Japan Standard Time—which translated to North American time, means October 20th, 7:10 PST/10:10 EST. Less than 24 hours away! Hopefully, a live stream of the event will be somewhere online—if not, a …

Kevin · October 19th, 2009

Lexus LFA: “The Best Car I’ve Ever Driven…”

In a quick interview during a Lexus LFA press event, Dutch motoring journalist and race-driving instructor Thomas Bangma had some very, very complimentary things to say about the upcoming supercar: The best car that I’ve ever driven in my life as a car journalist. It is an absolute gem, it is amazing…and I think it’s …

Kevin · October 12th, 2009

Lexus LFA Supercar Drift!

As part of this weekend’s Motor Sport 2009 in Odaiba, Japan, Lexus brought out one of their LFA racing prototypes this weekend for some supercar drifting, and was videotaped by numerous members of the crowd: And the best one of the bunch: Bringing out a supercar concept to do donuts for an enthusiast crowd in …

Kevin · October 12th, 2009

Lexus Supercar Confirmed for Tokyo Motor Show

Lexus has announced that “a revolutionary two-seat supercar” will be unveiled later this month at the Tokyo Motor Show—the full brief: Two-seat supercar (world premier) This concept vehicle epitomizes the purest form of driving exhilaration and performance. (Details to be announced at the Lexus press briefing on October 21.) This “two-seat supercar” is, of course, …

Kevin · October 7th, 2009

White Lexus LF-A on Nürburgring Video

Here’s another quick video of the Lexus LFA—this time taken on the track at Nürburgring and more importantly, completely undisguised: Here’s a quick screenshot of the full front-end: It’s impossible to make any real judgment from a 16 second video, except when it comes to the sound. What a roar! SAVAGE! (Thanks WorldofLuxury!)

Kevin · September 27th, 2009

Two Lexus LFAs Caught at a Gas Station

Here’s a quick super-video of both the white & black Lexus LFAs filling up at a gas station: Savage! (Thanks Rob!)

Kevin · September 26th, 2009

Lexus LF-A in Matte Black

Autocar has published a bunch of new Lexus LF-A spy shots, this time painted in matte black: Judging by the Recaro front seats, this is likely the rumored track-ready version of the Lexus supercar—there’s a few more images in the Autocar gallery, be sure to check them out. Between this and the white LFA seen …

Kevin · September 22nd, 2009

White Lexus LF-A Spotted!

The news never stops when it comes to Lexus & Germany—it’s not enough that the LF-Ch and refreshed versions of the LS, GS, and IS debuted, but now a practically-production LF-A has been photographed at Nürburgring (click for larger versions): Although the expertly-applied white tape does hide the final details, this is the best look …

Kevin · September 17th, 2009

Car & Driver: Lexus LF-A Test Drive

Car & Driver sent a journalist out to test out the Lexus LF-A race car, and the resulting article is so positive that I had to double-check that it was really on the C&D website: …the engine feels stronger than 500 horsepower, more like 550. A Lexus spokesman provides a torque figure: 369 pound-feet. We …

Kevin · August 21st, 2009

Info on the Lexus LF-A Driving Modes (plus a Name-Change Rumor)

Japanese auto magazine Holiday Auto has published some new information on the LF-A, including details on the four Automated Sequential Gearbox (ASG) modes: Auto, Normal, Sport and Wet. Normal & Wet modes are fairly self-explanatory, but here’s what’s mentioned about the other two: Sport mode will allow for 0.2 second gear shifting. Auto mode will …

Kevin · August 16th, 2009

Lexus LF-A vs. Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR: A Virtual Nürburgring Race

Similar to the virtual Lexus LF-A vs. Nissan GT-R race we saw a couple months ago, this split-screen racing footage has the LF-A (top) up against the 600bhp Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR on the Nürburgring: When you consider the traffic the LF-A has to deal with, there’s no telling how much faster it could have …

Kevin · August 14th, 2009

Akio Toyoda Confirms Production Lexus LF-A

While it’s been long-rumored that the Lexus LF-A supercar would be put into production, new Toyota President Akio Toyoda confirmed it last week during his speech at the Center For Automotive Research (CAR) Conference. From the transcript: You see…in a race…you have limited time and resources to work through countless challenges and problems that come …

Kevin · August 10th, 2009

Flickr Find: Duct Taped Lexus LFA

There’s no question that the Lexus LFA driven at Goodwood was a little worse for wear after its time on Nürburgring, and nothing illustrates that more clearly than Simon Greig’s photo of the beat-up front bumper (click for the full image): Just goes to show, duct-tape really can fix just about anything. [Source: Simon Greig’s …

Kevin · July 21st, 2009

Edmunds Drives the Lexus LFA

As it turns out, Edmunds also had the chance to drive the Lexus LFA at Goodwood, where the supercar prototype continued to impress: The Lexus LF-A is the sort of car in which you could spend hours whittling away at your lap times while confident it would never misbehave. You would emerge fresh from your …

Kevin · July 21st, 2009

Fifth Gear Drives the Lexus LFA

The Lexus LFA test-drives at Goodwood continue to stream in, and next up is Fifth Gear‘s video feature, as driven by Vicki Butler-Henderson (skip to 6:40 to watch the video directly): These reviews are all bringing a very clear message, and in this video Vicki sums it up perfectly: “This is really a user-friendly racing …

Kevin · July 20th, 2009

Lexus LFA Goodwood Videos

Today saw not one, not two, but three new videos of the Lexus LFA at the Goodwood Festival of Speed—the first two are produced by Lexus Europe, and show the super-race-car-prototype bombing around the circuit from both the exterior and the interior (click on the images to go to the videos): The picture in these …

Kevin · July 15th, 2009

More on the Lexus LFA Engine

By way of 4WheelsNews, Japan magazine Best Car is reporting that the Lexus LF-A’s engine has been confirmed as a 4.8L V10 engine producing 550 hp, and will be designated as the 1LR-GEU. Also, we’re getting some indication of how the rumored 500 supercars will be divided up across world markets. Asssuming the numbers are …

Kevin · July 15th, 2009

Lexus LFA First Drive in The Sunday Times

Another of the journalists to drive the Lexus LFA at the Goodwood Festival of Speed was The Sunday Times’ Andrew Frankel: At the beginning of the hillclimb I hit the start button expecting a massive roar but . . . silence. Through my helmet and at idle the engine is Lexus-quiet. I put it in …

Kevin · July 13th, 2009

Autocar Drives the Lexus LF-A

Autocar journalist Steve Sutcliffe was also had a chance to drive the Lexus LF-A at last weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed: There’s a clonk from the transaxle when first gear engages, and as I pull away the ride immediately feels firm but refined, not at all racing car hard. Another faint but disappointing clonk as …

Kevin · July 9th, 2009

Pistonheads Drives the Lexus LF-A

During the Goodwood Festival of Speed last weekend in Great Britain, a group of journalists were given the opportunity to drive the Lexus LFA racing prototypes that raced last month in the Nürburgring 24h. One of these journalists was Chris Rosamond, and he’s written a stellar account of the experience: The racing car accelerates flat …

Kevin · July 9th, 2009

Lexus LFA to be offered in 30 colors?

Motor Trend is now in the business of translating and republishing Japanese auto magazines, and that includes a Best Car feature on the upcoming Lexus LFA: Their translation: In addition to showing a rendered final form, insiders quoted by Best Car say Toyota officials are looking to rename the car to ‘SS550’. The ‘SS’ standing …

Kevin · July 6th, 2009

Lexus LFA & Nissan GT-R Virtual Race on Nürburgring

What started as a video comparison between Nissan Falken Z33 and GT-R Nürburgring laps ends up giving a small taste of how the Lexus LFA stacks up against Nissan’s Godzilla. Quick explanation before watching the video—the screen is divided into top and bottom portions: the top is a front-view of the Falken Z33 and the …

Kevin · June 17th, 2009

Lexus LFA Interior Spied!

The Lexus LFA is continuing on its path to production—the latest test vehicle running Nürburgring is not only riding on a new set of wheels, but also looks to be sporting a close-to-production interior—check out this photo (click for a larger version): Hard to get a true feel, considering the angle, but it looks like …

Kevin · June 17th, 2009

Latest on the Lexus LFA

Edmunds’ Inside Line has some new information on the upcoming Lexus LFA, including this new rendering (click for a larger version): (The front-end continues to be one of the remaining question marks about the LFA, this rendering has a lot of Ferrari in it.) Also reported is that the LFA engine will be controlled by …

Kevin · June 12th, 2009

Lexus LFA Concept in Next Need for Speed Video Game

Video game fans will be getting a chance to test-drive the Lexus LFA in the new Need for Speed SHIFT—here are some screenshots: Based on the 2007 LFA II Concept, this virtual supercar will be one of 65 vehicles in the next NFS when it’s released in September. (Also, Gran Turismo 5, the long awaited …

Kevin · June 4th, 2009

Lotus to use Lexus LFA V10 in Upcoming Supercar?

While catching up on last week’s news, one interesting story that popped up was from EVO—apparently, Lotus may use Lexus engines in their upcoming Esprit supercar: The new Lotus Esprit, due in 2012, could be powered by the high-revving, 500bhp V10 engine from the as yet unlaunched Lexus LF-A…This brings the prospect of a flagship, …

Kevin · June 2nd, 2009

Lexus LFA to hit 220mph

Information about the upcoming Lexus LFA keeps coming—Edmunds is reporting that the Japanese supercar, which will be powered by a 550+hp 4.8L V10, is capable of 220mph (354km/hour): Channeled through a six-speed Aisin AMT transmission bolted to a transaxle, that 220-mph top speed is 27 mph faster that the production Nissan GT-R and even the …

Kevin · May 28th, 2009

New Rumors on the Production Lexus LFA

Japanese magazine Best Car has published the above computer rendering of a possible look for the Lexus LFA production model, and has also included some new information: The LFA will be receiving a new name, possibly the SS (for Super Sport) or GT (Gran Turismo/Tourer). The numeric designation could be 500 or 550, though it’s …

Kevin · May 26th, 2009

Lexus LFAs Finish 87th, 101st in Nürburgring 24h Race

Various mechanical troubles kept the pair of Lexus LFAs racing in the Nürburgring 24h race from placing too high in the standings, with the #14 LFA finishing 87th and the #15 LFA finishing 101st. The race started off well enough, with #14 getting as high as 15th place, but ended up spending three hours getting …

Kevin · May 25th, 2009

Lexus LFAs Racing in Nürburgring 24h Race Today

Just a reminder, the Nürburgring 24h race has started, and the two Lexus LFAs are in the field. You can follow the race results for the Lexus LFAs on the Gazoo website with a very nice interface showing the remaining race times and positions. Good luck drivers!

Kevin · May 23rd, 2009

Behind-the-Scenes Video of the Racing Lexus LFAs

It’s been Lexus LFA week here at The Lexus Enthusiast, and it looks like we’ve saved the best for last—this behind-the-scenes video detailing the long road to the 24h Nürburgring race this weekend is nothing short of fantastic: It’s great not only to see the supercar, but the people behind it. You can see their …

Kevin · May 22nd, 2009

Live Lexus LFA Racing Photos

Take a look at these Lexus LFA photos from today’s qualifying sessions for the weekend’s Nürburgring 24h race: As for the results of today’s sessions—the twin LFAs finished 17th and 30th out of 194. Tomorrow is the final qualifying before the race this weekend. [Source: Lexus Europe]

Kevin · May 21st, 2009

Lexus LFA Racing Supercars Revealed

With the Team Gazoo Lexus LFA team readying for their 24-Hour Nürburgring Race this weekend, new photos of the supercar pair are in order (click for larger images): From the accompanying press release: Entered by Gazoo Racing, the team hopes to repeat its class winning form in the 4-hour race earlier in the year. The …

Kevin · May 20th, 2009

New Lexus LFA Spy Video

Stop everything and watch this video of the close-to-production Lexus LFA howling round Nürburgring: This car looks and sounds demonic, very exciting when you consider how close this will be to the real thing. Can not wait to see the production LFA. (Thanks Roberto!)

Kevin · May 19th, 2009

More Lexus LFA Spy Shots

More Lexus LFA photos are making their way online—World Car Fans has posted some additional images showing the supercar prototype at Nürburgring with its rear wing fully extended and the redesigned rear window air scoops visible: The LFA concepts have always been impressive, but this polishing towards production has the supercar looking better than ever. …

Kevin · May 12th, 2009

New Lexus LFA Spy Shots

A reworked Lexus LFA has been spotted, sporting some vinyl camouflage and looking much closer to production than ever before: Most of the changes over the last-seen mule are in the more aggressive front-end, but the whole vehicle looks more polished and sleek. Motor Authority also has some spy shots, including this brief look at …

Kevin · May 11th, 2009

Crystallised Lexus LFA Photo Gallery

I’ve been waiting for an actual photo gallery of the Crystallised Lexus LFA currently being shown in Milan, and Japanese magazine Openers has delivered just that—here’s a selection of images: Fantastic. The rest of the gallery can be viewed at the Openers website.

Kevin · May 7th, 2009

Crystallized Wind LFA @ Milan Design Week

Here’s a new image of the acrylic Lexus LFA, or Crystallized Wind, currently on display during Milan’s Design Week: Still impressed by the very idea of this transparent art piece, and would love to see it in person. For a couple more quick glimpses of the model, and a full Japanese interview with designer Sou …

Kevin · April 24th, 2009

Akio Toyoda Will Drive Lexus LFA in Nürburgring 24h Race

Akio Toyoda, incoming president of Toyota and grandson of the company’s founder, has been confirmed as one of the drivers in the upcoming 24h Nürburgring race: The grandson of Toyota founder Kiichiro Toyoda is one of four drivers on a Toyota team entering the May 21-24 Nurburgring 24-hour endurance race in Germany, company spokesman Paul …

Kevin · April 24th, 2009

Lexus LFA to Compete in Nürburgring 24h Race

For the second year in a row, the Lexus LFA will be taking part in the 24h Nürburgring Race, the full-day endurance race to take as many laps ‘round The Ring as possible: Based on a prototype of the LF-A being developed with an eye toward commercial release, the race vehicle, entering the Nürburg event …

Kevin · April 21st, 2009

More on the Lexus LFA Win @ Nürburgring

As mentioned, the Lexus LFA racing concept won its class (SP8: 4000cc ~ 6200cc) in the Nurburgring 4 hour race this weekend—and now sponsor Gazoo has posted some photos from the race: Here’s a photo of drift champion Iida Akira, soon-to-be Toyota President Akio Toyoda, and dealer owner/racer Javier Quiros with their trophies: I also …

Kevin · April 8th, 2009

Lexus LFA Makes a Nürburgring Appearance

For the first time this year, the Lexus LFA racing concept car has been spotted at Nürburgring, likely due to its upcoming appearance in the upcoming 56. ADAC Westfalenfahrt being held this weekend at the Nordschleife—the same four-hour long distance race on the Nürburgring grand prix circuit that the LFA won last year. Here’s the …

Kevin · April 6th, 2009

Production Lexus LFA to debut at Tokyo Auto Show?

This year’s Toyko Motor Show could be the location for a major moment in Lexus history—according to an Edmunds insider, the production version of the Lexus LFA will debut at the October autoshow. Of course, at this point it’s still a rumor, but when you consider that Toyota’s new president, Akio Toyoda, has been the …

Kevin · March 25th, 2009

Lexus @ Milan Design Week 2009

For the last few years, Lexus has been taking part in the Milan Design Week by creating a unique exhibit in collaboration with an artist. Last year, it was the Elastic Diamond with nendo, and this year Lexus has partnered with Huzimoto Takeshi, one of Japan’s up & coming architects, to create Crystallized Wind, or …

Kevin · February 18th, 2009

Flickr Find: Ghost in the Lexus LF-A

High Dynamic Range Imaging, or HDR Photography, is the process of layering multiple images with different exposures, which creates a vivid and otherworldly image. It’s all the rage with digital photographers, including Flickr user NikonNikk, who applied the process to the Lexus LF-A (Be sure to click through and see it full-size): It always amazes …

Kevin · July 26th, 2008

Lexus LF-A Engine on display at London Motor Show

Even if there’s nothing really new to look at, this Car Magazine video clip of the London Motor Show does feature the LF-A’s engine suspended in glass: Looks smaller than I would expect.

Kevin · July 23rd, 2008

Flickr Find: Lexus LF-A vs. Honda Civic

No matter how evenly matched they might be, I still had a chuckle over of this photo of the Lexus LF-A up against a Honda Civic: (This photo comes from Flickr user nordschleifenfan, my favorite Nürburgring photographer.)

Kevin · June 17th, 2008

Extended Video of the Lexus LF-A during Nürburgring 24h Race

Japanese racing website Start Your Engines has posted some extended footage of the Lexus LF-A in last month’s Nürburgring 24hour race, with plenty of mysterious Japanese commentary: The racing prototype certainly didn’t seem to struggle against its competitors on the track, which makes me wonder just how well the prototype would have finished without the …

Kevin · June 16th, 2008

Lexus LF-A Wallpaper

Due to an email I sent out far too late, I wasn’t able to include Dougie Wand‘s great mirror image of the Lexus LF-A as part of my anniversary wallpaper collection, but all the better to offer it on a hot Friday afternoon. Here’s the various desktop sizes, enjoy! 1680×1050 | 1440×900 | 1280×1024 | …

Kevin · June 6th, 2008

Feature: Is the Lexus LF-A really the new SC?

Last week, when Edmund’s Inside Line blog printed a rumor that the production version of the Lexus LF-A could cost upwards of $225,000 USD, the backlash was instant and ruthless. Auto enthusiasts everywhere bristled at the idea that Lexus would be pitting their new supercar against the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini. To be quite …

Kevin · May 29th, 2008

Lexus LF-A Prototype Crash

Details have been revealed today that the Lexus LF-A Racing Prototype was involved in some kind of crash during the qualifying session prior to the actual race. Autoblog has some more photos of the smash, but the damage seem to be around the driver-side front and rear bumper. Here’s what it looked like from the …

Kevin · May 27th, 2008

Great Photos of the Lexus LF-A Racing Prototype

The french website Endurance Info has some very nice exclusive photos of the Lexus LF-A racing prototype, including the one above this shot of the interior and engine: Judging by the news date (May 21st) and the lack of emblems, it looks like this site might have had the first public engine shots.

Kevin · May 27th, 2008

Lexus LF-A Racing Prototype completes Nürburgring 24h Race

The Lexus LF-A racing prototype finished the Nürburgring 24H race in 121st place, mostly due to some extended pitstops. Over the 24 hours, the LF-A managed 100 laps, 48 back of the winning Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. Motor Trend has a nice recap of the race, including this bit on the Lexus prototype: Did you …

Kevin · May 26th, 2008

The Lexus LF-A in the Nürburgring 24H Race this weekend

The Nürburgring 24hour race is happening this weekend, which the Lexus LF-A is pretend-competing in, using the race environment to see how the supercar holds up over an intensive run. Well, as it turns out, it’s probably best Lexus didn’t throw its hat fully into the ring, because one hour after the race started, the …

Kevin · May 24th, 2008

Is the Lexus LF-A going to cost over $200,000?

Big LF-A news today, as Edmund’s Inside Line has sleuthed out a possible price on the Lexus supercar: With an estimated 500 horsepower coming from the LF-A’s 5.0-liter V10, we didn’t expect the Lexus to come cheap, but Inside Line has learned that the car will carry a price tag over $200,000. Ben Mitchell, corporate …

Kevin · May 21st, 2008

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