2010 Lexus LF-A: Tribute To Formula One

The long awaited Lexus supercar, the LF-A, has been spotted on test tracks in Nurburygring and this offering for the 2010 model year will be able to keep up with the likes of the Ferrari F430 and more. The new LF-A is about the same size as the F430 and approximately 2″ shorter than the Porsche 911, but with 9″ of extra wheel base, this car is definitely roomier than the other two combined. The one question that remains with the new 2010 Lexus LF-A is, will it have a V8 or a V10? The answer hasn’t been decided yet but it seems to be leaning towards the V10 which would not be fuel efficient.
So far the high performance Lexus LF-A seems to be extremely aerodynamic which helps the car perform better than any of it predecessors. There is a giant rear wing on the back of the car that is designed to keep the carbon-fiber light frame to the road. There is talk that a front end aerodynamic package in the works and Toyota - Lexus’ parent company - has been playing with tabs on the front corners and a slightly more aggressive profile for the front air dam.
It still seems that Toyota is not sure where this car is going to fit in, simply by the way the car appears to the casual observer. The base version of the 2010 Lexus LF-A will definitely be a semi-luxury supercar pricing somewhere around $120,000 to $150,000 in the United States. With the pricing being that high, it takes it out of the Nissan GT-R class where it is supposed to be. If the company designed an additional V-spec version which is faster still, the car will be definitely be in a whole different model class.
The naturally aspirated 5.0 liter V10 engine and rear drive is being designed for the base LF-A model. It will be an 8 speed automatic that has the same fast torque converter lockup that is in the Lexus IS-F. Toyota is also playing with a twin-turbo V8 and is talking about turning the LF-A into the first hybrid supercar with one of the LF-A’s releases.
The car’s development is pretty well fixed at this stage in the game and without a complete redesign and overhaul, the LF-A is pretty much set to roll off the production line. The new dynamics and reduced weight could easily put the car out of the luxury car category and into the sport scar category, depending on which way Toyota decides to take it.