Lexus: LFA News
01-11-2005, 01:10 PM
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Lexus: LFA News
Lexus Unveils 500-Plus Horsepower, 200 MPH Sports Car Concept
Lexus unveiled the LF-A sports car concept at a press conference at the 2005 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). The two-seat concept blends the performance of an exotic sports car with the luxury refinements of a Lexus. Designed to express a bold new direction in styling for the Lexus brand, the LF-A concept is a vision closely aligned with the company's Formula One commitment to achieving superiority among its rivals in speed, quickness, agility and reliability.
"The Lexus LF-A is like no sports car we have ever built or even imagined," said Jim Press, Toyota Motor Sales executive vice president and COO. "Currently only a concept, it is a realistic vision of how we might address the boundaries that define the exotic sports car landscape."
The Lexus LF-A concept features an engine capable of developing more than 500 horsepower from a displacement of less than five liters. With a combination of optimum gearing, weight and aerodynamics, the LF-A concept would produce a top speed in the neighborhood of 200 miles per hour.
"The LF-A is theoretically developed to run a parallel course to our company's efforts in Formula One racing," added Press. "It would probably feature a powertrain and drivetrain configuration strongly influenced by whatever is being used in competition at the time."
Inside, the LF-A is designed as a luxury high-speed capsule that blends extravagant comfort with precision operation. Although it is about five inches shorter in length than the Porsche 911 Turbo, its wheelbase is nine inches longer. At 48 inches, it is nearly identical in height to the Ferrari F430. And with a width of 73.2 inches, it splits the difference between the Mercedes Benz SL55 and the Aston Martin DB9.
While the LF-A makes a major statement in how Lexus would define exotic sports car performance, it was conceived to express the emergence of a new direction in styling for the Lexus brand, globally.
"Over the last two years, a new styling philosophy that we call L-Finesse, has taken shape at Lexus Design," said Wahei Hirai, Toyota Motor Corporation's global managing officer of design. "What has emerged from this two-year journey is not just a new direction in philosophy. It is a new design language, based on the dynamism and inherent contrast between simplicity and elegance."
Simplicity, in form and function, reflects styling that is uncluttered and void of extraneous elements. Elegance, inside and out, avoids exaggeration by prioritizing understated luxury that is intriguing, subtle and seamless and slightly surprising. The key to the formula is how the visual contrast between simplicity and elegance creates a look that is dynamic, forceful and vigorous.
The LF-A is a fundamental shift in both style and design for Lexus. The positioning and sizing of major components have been redefined and condensed. By taking an entirely different approach to proportion and packaging, designers have achieved the ultimate weight balance, so vital to high-speed handling and stability.
As a total package, the Lexus LF-A concept is a bold statement and a clear indication of the path that Lexus' global design will follow in the near future.
Lexus unveiled the LF-A sports car concept at a press conference at the 2005 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). The two-seat concept blends the performance of an exotic sports car with the luxury refinements of a Lexus. Designed to express a bold new direction in styling for the Lexus brand, the LF-A concept is a vision closely aligned with the company's Formula One commitment to achieving superiority among its rivals in speed, quickness, agility and reliability.
"The Lexus LF-A is like no sports car we have ever built or even imagined," said Jim Press, Toyota Motor Sales executive vice president and COO. "Currently only a concept, it is a realistic vision of how we might address the boundaries that define the exotic sports car landscape."
The Lexus LF-A concept features an engine capable of developing more than 500 horsepower from a displacement of less than five liters. With a combination of optimum gearing, weight and aerodynamics, the LF-A concept would produce a top speed in the neighborhood of 200 miles per hour.
"The LF-A is theoretically developed to run a parallel course to our company's efforts in Formula One racing," added Press. "It would probably feature a powertrain and drivetrain configuration strongly influenced by whatever is being used in competition at the time."
Inside, the LF-A is designed as a luxury high-speed capsule that blends extravagant comfort with precision operation. Although it is about five inches shorter in length than the Porsche 911 Turbo, its wheelbase is nine inches longer. At 48 inches, it is nearly identical in height to the Ferrari F430. And with a width of 73.2 inches, it splits the difference between the Mercedes Benz SL55 and the Aston Martin DB9.
While the LF-A makes a major statement in how Lexus would define exotic sports car performance, it was conceived to express the emergence of a new direction in styling for the Lexus brand, globally.
"Over the last two years, a new styling philosophy that we call L-Finesse, has taken shape at Lexus Design," said Wahei Hirai, Toyota Motor Corporation's global managing officer of design. "What has emerged from this two-year journey is not just a new direction in philosophy. It is a new design language, based on the dynamism and inherent contrast between simplicity and elegance."
Simplicity, in form and function, reflects styling that is uncluttered and void of extraneous elements. Elegance, inside and out, avoids exaggeration by prioritizing understated luxury that is intriguing, subtle and seamless and slightly surprising. The key to the formula is how the visual contrast between simplicity and elegance creates a look that is dynamic, forceful and vigorous.
The LF-A is a fundamental shift in both style and design for Lexus. The positioning and sizing of major components have been redefined and condensed. By taking an entirely different approach to proportion and packaging, designers have achieved the ultimate weight balance, so vital to high-speed handling and stability.
As a total package, the Lexus LF-A concept is a bold statement and a clear indication of the path that Lexus' global design will follow in the near future.
01-11-2005, 01:11 PM
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01-11-2005, 01:27 PM
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Originally Posted by TSX 'R' US
The front end looks like it spawned off of an S2000...
01-11-2005, 01:57 PM
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Keep going. You know you want to comment on those sidemirrors.
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01-11-2005, 01:59 PM
#8
I'm not impressed with the design.
01-11-2005, 04:10 PM
#14
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Originally Posted by Yumchah
Keep going. You know you want to comment on those sidemirrors.
01-11-2005, 04:27 PM
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front looks likea throw back to the OG SC styling.
But i dont care for the styling as a whole. Too sharp, too angular...too sterile.
Interior looks be nice though....sadly no stick in true lexus fashion.
But i dont care for the styling as a whole. Too sharp, too angular...too sterile.
Interior looks be nice though....sadly no stick in true lexus fashion.
01-11-2005, 04:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Yumchah
Keep going. You know you want to comment on those sidemirrors.
exterior is definitely something new and interesting, don't known if i like it too much. i'm really diggin the interior though
01-11-2005, 05:46 PM
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Originally Posted by TSX 'R' US
Those side mirrors aren't mirrors, but actually cameras... much like the RDX concept...
Go rain on someone else's Car News parade!
01-11-2005, 07:35 PM
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Oh great, now that Acura decided to bow out of the supercar scene, Lexus decides to try it out 
I do like the concept though. The instument panel looks like something out of Star Trek!
I do like the concept though
. The instument panel looks like something out of Star Trek!
01-12-2005, 02:04 AM
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Originally Posted by sarlacc23
sadly no stick in true lexus fashion.
manuals dont belong in exotics or high performance cars just look at ferrari, bimmer, MB high performance models.
01-12-2005, 05:17 AM
#26
Race Director
Like Acura did with the HSC, this thing will be drug around the car show circuit for a couple of years until Lexus realizes they can't make money off it and it will quietly go away (instead of making a Phateon like mistake). What Lexus might get is a tarted up version of the next Supra - will depend on wheather the GT-R comes with Nissan or Infiniti badging.
01-12-2005, 10:48 PM
#29
The sizzle in the Steak
Originally Posted by biker
Like Acura did with the HSC, this thing will be drug around the car show circuit for a couple of years until Lexus realizes they can't make money off it and it will quietly go away (instead of making a Phateon like mistake). What Lexus might get is a tarted up version of the next Supra - will depend on wheather the GT-R comes with Nissan or Infiniti badging.
01-13-2005, 09:52 AM
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Originally Posted by biker
Like Acura did with the HSC, this thing will be drug around the car show circuit for a couple of years until Lexus realizes they can't make money off it and it will quietly go away (instead of making a Phateon like mistake). What Lexus might get is a tarted up version of the next Supra - will depend on wheather the GT-R comes with Nissan or Infiniti badging.
01-13-2005, 03:45 PM
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What's with the little enterprise-like symbol in the bottom of the instrument cluster? the car would make me feel like i'm in an episode of startrek or something.
oh, n/m, it says "circuit mode" so i'm making a wild guess that's a track map? still quite bizarre.
overall like the dash/instruments/wheel/console. not too shabby at all.
01-14-2005, 11:27 AM
#34
_____ like a rabbit
I like it a lot. But maybe its a tad-bit too futuristic, dont get me wrong i like it, but im just saying. If it is the supra than its gonna be priced at 40k and up, and last time i checked, old farts dont like futuristic... And as for the outside, i hate it. But the same holds true as the interior, too futuristic.
Last edited by stangg172004; 01-14-2005 at 11:30 AM.
01-19-2005, 12:40 PM
#38
Suzuka Master
"Lexus wants $100,000-plus flagship supercar"
"Seeking to enter the rarified world of super high performance, Lexus Division unveiled the LF-A concept at the Detroit auto show.
Executives say the concept is still in the consideration phase, but such statements are made with a wink. When pressed, Toyota sources said the sports car likely would appear in about three years, when Lexus’ upcoming product barrage hits a lull.
“The Lexus brand has reached a point where we can step up a bit, but we need to keep in mind what got us here,” said Denny Clements, Lexus Division general manager.
Toyota also wants to promote its entry into Formula 1 racing. But this car would be too expensive to carry a Toyota badge, executives said.
Jim Press, COO of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., compares the LF-A’s performance to that of a Porsche 911 Turbo, Ferrari F430 and Aston Martin DB9.
Lexus engineers said the engine would either be a V8 or V10, depending on potential rule changes made by the Formula 1 bosses. Press said the engine will have more than 500 hp from an engine displacing less than five liters.
Test cars have reached top speeds of around 200 mph at Toyota’s Arizona proving ground.
The LF-A rides on a wheelbase of 103 inches, and is 173 inches long.
If produced, the vehicle would cost more than $100,000.
A Toyota source says the car will not have a hybrid powertrain."
01-19-2005, 01:58 PM
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Originally Posted by eidji
What's with the little enterprise-like symbol in the bottom of the instrument cluster? the car would make me feel like i'm in an episode of startrek or something.
oh, n/m, it says "circuit mode" so i'm making a wild guess that's a track map? still quite bizarre.
overall like the dash/instruments/wheel/console. not too shabby at all.
oh, n/m, it says "circuit mode" so i'm making a wild guess that's a track map? still quite bizarre.
overall like the dash/instruments/wheel/console. not too shabby at all.
