flipside909

I hope you guys keep into consideration that this car is still a "CONCEPT" vehicle. Not the final product, so changes will definitely come about on the actual production model

LexusLuver

you're such a tease, when is it going into production?

Sup

I don't understand what you just said, I'm guessing you are referring to the LF-A...correct?

The LF-A is just a design concept, not a full scale production model. The purpose of it is to display the direction in design.

If you look at the rendering I posted and compare it to the cladded car in the spy pics, you will see many similarities.

spwolf

In your post you reffered to the rending as "production" or close to pics... What we saw at NAIAS is current look of LF-A, this is how the car looks right now. You can call it concept, you can call it preview, but right now this is the car. They might or might not change anything if it goes to production, but I doubt changes will be huge in any case.

So basically what I said was that the concept that was shown at NAIAS is the real deal while your rending is just.. rendering, which is now not improtant anymore since we see...the real deal. Month ago it would be an great rendering of upcoming concept, and now is ... not important.

spwolf

p.s. didnt mean to sound harsh, just clarification on what is the real deal and what is an chop

XeroK00L

I agree that in most cases what you said is very true, that artist-rendered pics are no more relevant once the real deal is out.

In this case of the LF-A, despite many great similarities, however, the car seen tested in Nurburgring is quite different in many ways from the LF-A displayed in Detroit. The headlight shape, the foglights, the shape of the air intake by the door openings, the side mirrors, the front spoiler, etc., are all very different between the two cars. So that rendering, based on a "different car", is still kind of worth floating around since nobody has even yet seen the uncamo'd version (i.e. the real deal) of THAT car. And since the car in Nurburgring actually RUNS, rather than being just a show car, the chances of that car being closer to the production car is actually greater than the LF-A IMO.

Just my $0.02.

XeroK00L

Edmunds's got a little video highlight of the LF-A here. Nothing fancy, but it's nice to be able to watch the car in 3D motion.

http://autoshow.edmunds.com/news/aut...w..leftnav.5.*

XeroK00L

The LF-A announcement conference video is now available at http://www.lexus.com/autoshow/liveca...htm?zone=page2 .

Gojirra99

The front end is disappointing, still needs a lot of work. The rest of the car looks pretty good.

Lvangundy

Is that a race track in the dash light?

LOL.

It looks like a game race track AHAHAHa

Sup

XeroK00L knows where I am coming from. The rendering is relevant IMO considering the car was spotted testing before the LF-A was unveiled.

BlueIS05

Interesting perspective from Autoweek's Detroit Auto show blogs.
------------------------------------------

MODERN IS THE NEW MODERN

Let’s begin the day with a question.
What was the best high-powered sports concept revealed at the show?
Here are the three contenders: Chrysler Firepower, Ford Shelby GR-1, Lexus LF-A. The Jaguar ALC only gets slight consideration, primarily because it looks like a 5-year-old Aston Martin with alien blue paint. For better analysis of the car, read William Jeanes’ recent blog on the car. He says it better than I ever could.
Getting back to the three players, they’re all concepts (in various stages of development) with the same end goal. They’re not just aiming for performance enthusiasts. They’re shooting for the top. They’re hunting down the ultra rich and music video cred. All three might or might not see production.
Another similarity is their emphasis on elegance, style and power in the rear wheels. The difference is in the execution. The GR-1 flows like a ‘70s Stingray. The Firepower is very Aston. I saw these two first, and for the entire day all I could think about was those wheel arches. They were powerful and refined. Very sports car. But they were classic and for some reason they made me think of my mom’s Wedgwood dinner china. Was there a more modern way of achieving that look?
I thought about this for a while.
Two cappuccinos later and just as I was about to come to the conclusion that no, it wasn’t possible to modernize on the power arch, I stumbled upon the Lexus LF-A.
It immediately reminded me of a presentation given by Mazda’s Chief Designer Iwao Koisumi earlier that day. He was showing a small crowd how he maintains Mazda’s signature styling cues throughout its entire vehicle lineup. He spoke while illustrating everything on a computer tablet, which was connected to the wraparound jumbotron. And it made me think: How did car shows exist without flatscreens and jumbotrons?
Koisumi made succinct lines that were both fluid and effortless, which I tried to replicate on my journalist’s notepad, to a tragically limited degree of success. It’s scary to think that the separation between amateur and pro can be told in a short swoosh no more than an inch long. Equally distinct is the separation between the lines of the LF-A power arch against those in the GR-1 and Firepower.
Viewed from the side, the LF-A has a bit of Supra and a bit of Japanese GT car, but most of all, everything grows from a single sloping straight line from nose to tail. And within that single line as it travels above the rear wheel, it reveals a complexity in the traditional Aston and Vette power arch that I never thought was there before.
That’s just the beginning of the LF-A genius.
Despite its front-rear powertrain configuration, the entire intake system is in the back half of the car. Air shuttles through two sleek ducts along the side waistline. There are visible radiator fans behind dominating mesh grilles under the rear lights. At this point in time, Lexus isn’t prepared to reveal how the air gets channeled back to the engine up front, if they know how at all. But that’s not the point, which is this: Right now, Toyota is showing just how good it is playing with the lead.
If Toyota was sitting at the same blackjack table as Ford, Jag and Chrysler, it would be on first base, scoring four-card 21s, winning insurance bets and getting room comps. Chrysler would be next to him, hoping for the dealer to show a three or four, while Ford and Jag would be taking turns playing third base as the other one watched, just hoping to score enough free drinks to make it all worth it.
How do you get all of that from looking at three sports cars?
As Tom Tremont said: “In design, there’s always a dialogue going on. And once or twice as year, we pop these (concept cars) out, and we show everybody what we’re talking about.... Concept cars have many uses. They can talk about your brand. They can talk about the state of your company.”
What the Lexus LF-A says about Toyota is that it’s having a blast and loving every minute of it, from the intake system to the way the car sits like a Landspeeder when viewed straight on from the front or back. The design is completely effortless. There’s nothing derivative about it at all. Instead of going back to ground zero, Toyota is creating a new one altogether. A fresh base camp to launch future expeditions.
Not so at Ford, Jag and Chrysler. Outside of the GR-1’s Yeager aluminum body, you won’t find any of that kind of fun on the Firepower, GR-1 and ALC. And that says a lot about the companies behind them. None of them can afford a misstep at this point. And you can almost see the beads of sweat in their designs.

LexusLuver

http://seriouswheels.com/top-2005-Le...-A-Concept.htm
big pics
http://seriouswheels.com/pics-2005/2...-1920x1440.jpg

XeroK00L

LOL can't sum up any better than that.

Toyota did do a great job on the concept. Let's just hope they won't disappoint us by keeping it only a concept.

spwolf

hear, hear!