Official LF-A(II) thread (Will debut at Tokyo Auto Show, Lexus details Oct 20th, 8pm)
05-11-09, 10:45 AM
#1906
Spy Shots
The supercar that almost wasn’t, and still might not be, the Lexus LF-A, recently underwent a special kind of exhibition in Milan during Fashion Week, and now it has been spotted once again in prototype form ahead of a rumored debut at October's Tokyo Motor Show.
The LF-A has been spotted testing on a number of occasions, so it's well past the 'pure concept' stage, but its production future still remains murky at best. The Japanese company's investment in the LF-A at the recent Milan Fashion Week, however, lends credence to the idea that it is in fact going to be built, and this latest prototype features some new elements have never been seen before.
First and foremost are the new tail-lamps, which are likely to be the actual production units. Also new is the smoother body and integrated diffusers at the front and rear of the car.
If the LF-A does go into production, it is expected to cost more than $200,000 and sport a 5.0L V10 engine rated at over 500hp (373kW). Limited production is also the name of the game, with only about 1,000 units expected unless demand proves high enough to support more. A hybrid variant should also be available, but it’s unknown how much power this version will have or what affect the heavy batteries and extra motor will have on handling and weight.
The car's front mid-engine placement, along with a rear-mounted transaxle and rear-mounted radiators, should allow for excellent weight distribution, however. Lexus has billed the concept version of the car as having a top speed in excess of 200mph, and we have no reason to doubt the production version will reach these limits if sold unrestricted.
The LF-A has been spotted testing on a number of occasions, so it's well past the 'pure concept' stage, but its production future still remains murky at best. The Japanese company's investment in the LF-A at the recent Milan Fashion Week, however, lends credence to the idea that it is in fact going to be built, and this latest prototype features some new elements have never been seen before.
First and foremost are the new tail-lamps, which are likely to be the actual production units. Also new is the smoother body and integrated diffusers at the front and rear of the car.
If the LF-A does go into production, it is expected to cost more than $200,000 and sport a 5.0L V10 engine rated at over 500hp (373kW). Limited production is also the name of the game, with only about 1,000 units expected unless demand proves high enough to support more. A hybrid variant should also be available, but it’s unknown how much power this version will have or what affect the heavy batteries and extra motor will have on handling and weight.
The car's front mid-engine placement, along with a rear-mounted transaxle and rear-mounted radiators, should allow for excellent weight distribution, however. Lexus has billed the concept version of the car as having a top speed in excess of 200mph, and we have no reason to doubt the production version will reach these limits if sold unrestricted.
05-11-09, 10:59 AM
#1907
You can definitely see some of the changes front and rear:
I am definitely digging this front end as opposed to others that we have seen
This car also has more production-ready side view mirrors than others that we have seen.
.
All in all this mule looks more aggressive and more production ready than others that we have seen thus far. I like the front end a lot more than the LF-A II too.
I am definitely digging this front end as opposed to others that we have seen
This car also has more production-ready side view mirrors than others that we have seen.
.All in all this mule looks more aggressive and more production ready than others that we have seen thus far. I like the front end a lot more than the LF-A II too.
05-11-09, 12:00 PM
#1909
Speaks French in Russian
Thats awesome. Definitely a more aggressive front end. Seems like the air vents behind the front windows made it to production. A very creative design IMO.
Also some of the design changes I pointed out on the crystal concept seem to carry over to this latest prototype. Very cool.
Also some of the design changes I pointed out on the crystal concept seem to carry over to this latest prototype. Very cool.
05-11-09, 12:29 PM
#1911
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Very interesting news. Personally, it looks bad-***. Both front and rear look more aggressive than before. The front bumper is more aggressively sculpted, the headlights look meaner, and it does seem to have more aggressive front fender flares than either LF-A concept.
Judging by the paint quality and how "sleek" the overall body looks, combined with the use of soft camo material, I am certain what we are seeing is the production car. Finally we get a sneak at the production tails, and they do not disappoint. The car looks very sinister with those rear LED tails, and I love the additional use of mesh around the exhaust and lower underbody. It makes the car look more sinister and not as "clean cut" as the concepts. Even those new side mirrors look more sinister than before.
The car looks sleeker and more sinister at the same time. I'm sure it looks sleeker for aerodynamic reasons.
Also looking at the pic below, the interior looks to be the production one. Note the exquisite materials used on the door panel.
I think we will finally see the production car unveiled this year, with it going on sale next year or early 2011.
The only other thing I hope is that some of the sinister styling cues on this car influence future Lexus designs, particularly F models.
Judging by the paint quality and how "sleek" the overall body looks, combined with the use of soft camo material, I am certain what we are seeing is the production car. Finally we get a sneak at the production tails, and they do not disappoint. The car looks very sinister with those rear LED tails, and I love the additional use of mesh around the exhaust and lower underbody. It makes the car look more sinister and not as "clean cut" as the concepts. Even those new side mirrors look more sinister than before.
The car looks sleeker and more sinister at the same time. I'm sure it looks sleeker for aerodynamic reasons.
Also looking at the pic below, the interior looks to be the production one. Note the exquisite materials used on the door panel.
I think we will finally see the production car unveiled this year, with it going on sale next year or early 2011.
The only other thing I hope is that some of the sinister styling cues on this car influence future Lexus designs, particularly F models.
05-11-09, 12:45 PM
#1912
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I love it and its just badass. BADASS!! Not just a V-10 supercar Lexus but a hybrid one as well. This will showcase the hybrid tech Lexus has, more of a "halo" than the LS 600h L.
Lexus NEEDS this car, it NEEDS to produce the excitement which we say lacks. This is very very promising.
I need a raise (and a second job, wiht a raise)
Lexus NEEDS this car, it NEEDS to produce the excitement which we say lacks. This is very very promising.
I need a raise (and a second job, wiht a raise)
05-11-09, 12:51 PM
#1913
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I love it and its just badass. BADASS!! Not just a V-10 supercar Lexus but a hybrid one as well. This will showcase the hybrid tech Lexus has, more of a "halo" than the LS 600h L.
Lexus NEEDS this car, it NEEDS to produce the excitement which we say lacks. This is very very promising.
I need a raise (and a second job, wiht a raise)
Lexus NEEDS this car, it NEEDS to produce the excitement which we say lacks. This is very very promising.
I need a raise (and a second job, wiht a raise)
. I keep staring at this shot:
05-11-09, 01:11 PM
#1914
Super Moderator
05-11-09, 01:19 PM
#1915
Super Moderator
So I am wondering whether the actual raw materials + labour costs would even add up to anywhere near $100K for producing one of these cars.
It still seems to me that they can produce more and sell it for a lower price, and attract more real buyers if they really want to ...
But a 1000 units production run in the latest article ^^ does sound more reasonable than just a couple hundred mentioned before ...
Last edited by Gojirra99; 05-11-09 at 01:28 PM.
05-11-09, 01:44 PM
#1916
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Based on the headlight shape of the crystal LF-A, and also based on the few details we see in these photos, as well as the overall sinister appearance of the car, the headlights probably do look more aggressive. It's an educated guess, but I would be shocked if the headlights were bland, considering the aggressive styling cues found all over the car.
05-11-09, 01:48 PM
#1917
Lexus Fanatic
The LFA has a really nice aggressive stance and I like the way it looks better with slight camo additions more then the smoother finished concepts. If/when it gets into production I hope they spread the headlights out more to the edges as some of the angles on the concepts it looks a little weird with them set closer together up front, it seems from this latest camo'd version the headlights may be spread out a little more which looks better. The rumored 200K+ price tag is not very good news which means it will have very limited sales, perhaps so few that it will just be a very short lived one off model and not make a big impact but I am hoping it spawns a less expensive v8 sports car for Lexus/Toyota. You can see alot of Supra in this design from its stance which is great and I am sure despite the high price tag and being sold as a Lexus many are going to say this is the true Supra successor, I am glad they stayed a little old school in the look, stance, and proportions instead of trying to make it look too modern and soft. Imagine a similarly styled version as a Supra replacement using a v8/turbo v8 for around 48K-60K, you can always dream.
05-11-09, 02:04 PM
#1918
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The LFA has a really nice aggressive stance and I like the way it looks better with slight camo additions more then the smoother finished concepts. If/when it gets into production I hope they spread the headlights out more to the edges as some of the angles on the concepts it looks a little weird with them set closer together up front, it seems from this latest camo'd version the headlights may be spread out a little more which looks better. The rumored 200K+ price tag is not very good news which means it will have very limited sales, perhaps so few that it will just be a very short lived one off model and not make a big impact but I am hoping it spawns a less expensive v8 sports car for Lexus/Toyota. You can see alot of Supra in this design from its stance which is great and I am sure despite the high price tag and being sold as a Lexus many are going to say this is the true Supra successor, I am glad they stayed a little old school in the look, stance, and proportions instead of trying to make it look too modern and soft. Imagine a similarly styled version as a Supra replacement using a v8/turbo v8 for around 48K-60K, you can always dream.
