The Lexis LF-A has been spotted on the road again. Seen for the first time in 2009, the supercar was spied during a run on the 'Ring.

For this run, during industry-only performance testing at the Nürburgring, Lexus wheeled out a LF-A racecar with new air intakes and a rear diffuser. These changes may only be in place for the upcoming 56. ADAC Westfalenfahrt being held this weekend at the Nordschleife. The four-hour long distance race on the Nürburgring grand prix circuit this weekend will include drivers Hiromu Naruse, Minoru Takaki, and Yoshinobu Katsumata piloting the LF-A for Gazoo Racing. The three drivers will try to retain the LF-A's SP8 class first place title after the surprising win last year. We're not sure if either the intakes or diffuser will make production.

Legendary Toyota test driver Hiromu Naruse has the helm on this project. Naruse has been with the firm for 46 years, earning the title of "Nur Meister" for being the "One and Only Master Craftsman" of automobile manufacturing. His credentials include work on the Toyota 7, 2000GT, MR-2, MR-S, and the Supra, to name a few.

Set for a Tokyo Motor Show debut in October, the Lexus LF-A is expected to get a V10 engine that produces over 600 bhp. With its carbon fibre body and rear wing, a 0-60mph in under four seconds is likely. The F1 paddleshifters will help the driver get to a top speed of over 200mph.

The F1 paddleshifters will help the driver get to a top speed of over 200mph.

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.

Also, mainly by employing young mechanics for technical support, TMC intends to use the race as an opportunity to develop human resources.

Lexus LF-A returns to the ‘Ring [Spied again]

After a fairly lengthy hiatus, it looks as though Toyota has resumed development of its Lexus LF-A supercar. The LF-A hasn’t been spied in over a year, but the two-door coupe returned to Germany’s famed Nürburgring race track on Tuesday.

The global economic downturn reportedly hasn’t taken its toll on Toyota’s LF-A program, so it remains possible we could finally see a production version of the Lexus supercar later this year at the Tokyo Motor Show. However, Lexus plans on campaigning the LF-A later this month in the 24 hour Nürburgring race, so it remains possible that this prototype is simply a racecar variant.
Whatever the case, the car spotted today is using Toyota’s new 4.8L V10, tuned to produce at least 500 horsepower. Power is sent to the rear-wheels — size 305/30/20 – via a paddle-shifted transmission.
Toyota has stated the LF-A won’t enter production until it can best the 7 minute 30 second mark around the ‘Ring, so the May 23rd race could give us an indication of how close the LF-A is to production.

TOKYO — Toyota has succeeded in its bid to reach a higher top speed for Japan's most expensive and fastest production car ever, the Lexus LF-A. According to a well-placed source, the LF-A's 550-horsepower-plus 4.8-liter V10 is now capable of 220 mph.

Inside Line was told by a source more than a year ago that the development team was not happy with the car's top speed of 198 mph and had sent it back to the shop for fine tuning. And now, after a year of testing in wind tunnels, strategic revisions to the car's aerodynamics and minor adjustments to its V10 engine, we are the first to reveal that the R&D team has finally found the extra legs.

Channeled through a six-speed Aisin AMT transmission bolted to a transaxle, that 220-mph top speed is 27 mph faster that the production Nissan GT-R and even the legendary Ferrari Enzo, the Lamborghini Murciéago LP640 and the Pagani Zonda F.

Our scoop squad has also learned that the actual production model looks very different from the prototypes seen at the Nürburgring, "especially around the headlights and grille." So we can expect a surprise when the car finally surfaces later in 2009. When queried as to whether the LF-A looks better now than the current prototype, our source could only scratch and tilt his head, and suck air through his teeth.

We are now being told that the LF-A will be produced in a limited edition of 500 cars, which includes a high-performance sport version with a wider body and beefed-up aero parts similar to those seen on the racing version at the Nürburgring. Speaking of the Green Hell, if the race version's lap time of 7 minutes, 13 seconds is anything to go by, we can expect a blistering time from the production model, too.

Sitting on a steel and aluminum chassis with a body employing copious amounts of lightweight carbon fiber and aluminum, the base model will cost between $220,000 and $250,000, while the top-of-the-line full-spec sports package will clear $300,000.

One rumor surfaced recently that Toyota's bosses still had not decided where to reveal the car and that both the Tokyo and Frankfurt shows were being considered. However, all the signs point to a 2009 Tokyo Auto Show launch in October, especially given that Toyota wants to maximize exposure with the double reveal of its all-new rear-wheel-drive, 2.0 liter three-door sport coupe, co-developed with Subaru.

So expect to see the production-ready version at this year's Tokyo show, and you can bet that Lexus will start taking orders almost immediately.