Personally I think Lexus' goal for last year was testing the water but this year should be kicking ***. If everything goes well (the kick-*** part...) then we can expect a formal announcment for the offical introduction of the LF-A.

Just my personal speculation.

 

495 ftl. i was hoping for 550-600, **** even 700. guess people are going to tune this like crazy, such as they do for Supra's

 

Since the very beginning Lexus said, "More than 500hp" so either 1) this information is wrong or 2) there is something different about these cars that were built for the 'Ring.

From Lexus.com:

"Lexus Unveils Two High-Performance Vehicles
at the 2007 North American International Auto Show

DETROIT, January 8, 2007 – Lexus unveiled the IS F high-performance luxury sedan and the LF-A sports-car concept at a press conference today at the 2007 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

The all-new 2008 IS F high-performance luxury sedan will deliver more than 400 horsepower from a 5.0-liter V8 engine when it goes into production. The LF-A supercar concept is equipped with a V10 engine that produces more than 500 horsepower. Together, the two exciting new cars make a dramatic statement of Lexus performance.

..."

 

Maybe the power is limited for the race/class?

 

A definite possibility. Here are a couple of others:

1) 495 horsepower equals almost 502 ps, or metric horsepower.

2) Lexus is determined to avoid the gas guzzler tax here in the U.S., just as it did with the IS F. If you look at the specs for the ZO6 Corvette, which also avoids the dreaded tax (7-liter V8 with 505 hp, 3180 lbs curb weight, 15 mpg city / 24 mpg highway), perhaps a slightly heavier LFA would need to come down slightly to 495 hp to avoid the tax?

 

yeah right. totally and utterly different vehicles. supra is a dinosaur compared the lf-a which probably has more computing power than the space shuttle.

modifications won't be easy and will no doubt be REALLY REALLY expensive (especially for such a TINY market).

to my knowledge, no one's 'cracked' even old toyota/lexus engine ECUs so they can't be "chipped" like most german brands. piggybacks are a kludge at best. the supra's super strong engine could have a replacement ecu basically, and even with major abuse (and lots of power), it runs and survives. i don't imagine such crude solutions will exist for the lf-a.

the lf-a is an impressive vehicle. but i'd take an audi r8 v10 instead probably!

 

Bit, someone in the IS-F forum (Cl vendor) has cracked the Toyota ECU. He was able to adjust a many things, however if you ask me, the asking price ($4000) was not worth the 15whp gain (or however much it was).

 

yeah J.... also,

3) Slightly different tune for 24hrs endurance racing?


Some of you guys...............

 

 

What's the for? I dont see the error in that.

 

Lexus' official Press Release, with some minor amendments:

'LF-A' Prototype to Again Enter 24-hour Nürburgring Race
Tokyo, April 21, 2009 - Lexus announces plans to again enter its "LF-A" premium two-seater sports car in the 24 Hours Nürburgring1 endurance race in Nürburg, Germany, from May 21 to 24, 2009.

Based on a prototype of the LF-A being developed with an eye toward commercial release, the race vehicle, entering the Nürburg event for the second year in a row, has been equipped with race-grade safety equipment, such as a roll cage and special fuel tank, and fitted with a spoiler and other aerodynamic features. Although engine, powertrain and frame specifications differ little from those of the base vehicle, the race vehicle has been retuned to better meet the demands of the course.

Engineers intend to use feedback from the grueling race to further enhance the LF-A's performance. Also, mainly by employing young mechanics for technical support, TMC intends to use the race as an opportunity to develop human resources.

Specifications of Lexus LF-A Competing in 24 Hours Nürburgring Race
Vehicle name: Lexus LF-A (racing specs)
Entry category/class: Division 2 SP8 (engine close-to-production)
Team name: GAZOO Racing
Engine Type: V-10
Displacement: 4805 cc
Maximum output: More than 367kW (500PS / 495 hp)
Body Length: 4530mm (178.3")
Width: 1880mm (74")
Height: 1200mm (47.25")
Wheelbase: 2605mm (102.5")
Material: Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP)
Vehicle layout: Front-mid-engine, rear-mid-transaxle, rear radiator
Transmission: Paddle-shift sequential, manual
Tires: Front/rear size 305/30R20
Type: Racing (Bridgestone)

Outline of 24 Hours Nürburgring Race
Name: 37th 24 Hours Nürburgring1
Dates: May 21-24, 2009 (main competition runs from May 23-24)
Venue: Nürburgring (Nürburg, Ahrweiler, State of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany)

Reference
Plans call for live on-line coverage of the team's progress in the race at GAZOO Racing's (Japanese) website ( http://gazoo.com/racing/Top/Top.aspx ) (and, hopefully, on the English language GAZOO Racing website [ http://gazoo.com/racing/english/index.asp ] as well).

 

Interesting details, here's the link to the Japanese press release:
http://www.toyota.co.jp/jp/news/09/Apr/nt09_0415.html

Translated version:
http://translate.google.com/translat...ml&sl=ja&tl=en

Good to hear they are entering two prototypes this time, although the official press release doesn't say that, at least it will provide insurance; last year the LF-A developed a leak after being rear-ended.

 

I am under the impression that the dealers here can not sell over the MSRP, however people do buy these cars to make a profit by putting their name down before any one else and when there are none left they advertise them as private sales and jack the price right up. However, and this is a very big however, these people could be risking a lot b/c you don't get all the frills and benifits from your lexus dealer here when buying from anyone other than lexus and this could turn a lot of people off buying such an exclusive car through a third party. (The treatment we get here from our dealers is unbelievable)

But to answer your question, If there is a price war I will cross that bridge when I get there.

In Japan the cars seemed to be distributed quite evenly among dealers, and at my dealer there was quite a long waiting list for the IS-F and I waited almost 12 months. Where a guy I know put his name down 6 months after me at a different dealer and got his car before me. I feel the LFA will be allocated in much the same way.

And yes, your car is fully customized to how you want it.

ATM, I would prefer the roadster but I don't know if that will come out and if it does I am betting it will come out after the coupe.

 

Nice!! If they manage to get some wins out of this racing version of the LF-A, it will probably create more demand for those who are into the "racing heritage" stuff.

 

Nice, just as I predicted Toyota is doing the 24 hour race 2nd year in a row for further development of the LF-A. Once again this proves the LF-A is coming to production. It would make zero sense for Toyota to invest time and money again to race the LF-A at the 'Ring 24 hour race if the LF-A wasn't confirmed for production.

Also for the record, the official press release mentions over 495HP. Toyota is just playing around and teasing us. Previously Toyota made mention the LF-A concept produced 'over 500HP' and now Toyota is saying 'over 495HP'. Think about it logically; there is no way the LF-A could have achieved the famed 'Ring time of 7:24 if it had 495HP. It would be absolutely foolish to have the car make only 495HP, not just for marketing reasons but for competitive reasons.

Plus as MR_F1 mentioned, the engine might be slightly detuned for reliability reasons, but I personally doubt that.

Toyota has not officially mentioned that it's running two LF-As, so I don't know where Autoweek got that info from. If true, that's pretty interesting. If not, well one prototype is still plenty.

I expect the car to win it's class once again.

Keep your eyes open and your ears peeled for the production LF-A debut this year, likely at the Tokyo Show. If Toyota wins an F1 race this year, it's almost guaranteed they will show the production LF-A in Tokyo, if not earlier.