Toyota has never publicly confirmed whether it will actually produce the LF-A, although britain's Autocar now reports that the super-Lexus will go on sale in October at a price estimated at £250,000, or nearly half a million dollars.
It seems as if Lexus has been working on the LF-A supercar forever. Or at least six years. It's been shown in three different concept forms, including a convertible, at auto shows since 2005 and it has twice participated in the Nürburgring 24.
Like the race car, the road car will weigh 1500kg – the rollcage and racing kit weight the same as a road car interior. That means 550bhp and 1500kg, which means 366.6bhp per tonne, only a fraction less than the 373bhp per tonne of the Ferrari 599. So it’s quick, then, with a capital Q.
Down the back straight it feels a) very, very quick beyond 5000rpm, b) sounds absolutely fantastic at 8300rpm, and c) accelerates so violently towards the still soaking wet horizon that it’s not long before I bale out and brush the brakes, at which point it becomes equally obvious how well it stops.
The V10 apparently really comes to life above 5,000 rpm. If (and that's a really big if) the LF-A is produced, it might only be a limited run of 500 units. Given Toyota's losses and the current economic environment, it's anyone's guess whether it'll happen, but we may find out at the Tokyo Motor Show this fall. Hat tip to RDS
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