Lexus has just unveiled the successor to its legendary LFA supercar after discontinuing the first one over a decade ago. It's got new underpinnings, bold styling, and an electric powertrain to replace the fire-breathing V10.
The company actually showed this off earlier in August at the Monterey Car Week, when it was revealed as the Sport Concept. Lexus is sticking with the 'concept' tag for this LFA at the moment, which means we don't yet know exactly how powerful it'll be.
What we do know is it's built on the same platform as Toyota's new GR GT supercar and track-bound GT3 variant. Those are hybrid twin-turbo V8-powered beasts from the company's motorsport division, which means they're being forged from the Japanese auto giant's racing expertise.
The platform is designed to maximize aerodynamic performance and rigidity, and keep the center of gravity and overall weight low. That's realized with an all-aluminum frame, and a thoughtfully sculpted coupe exterior with a long hood – resting on a 107.3-inch (272.5-cm) wheelbase.
There's so much eye candy on this thing: from the sleek side-mounted rearview cameras to the wide rear end emphasized by the striking lighting elements, to the imposing front end with its flowing hood. It looks fast standing still.
Hop inside the LFA Concept and you'll find a driver-focused two-seater cabin that's meant to immerse you fully in the experience of driving this thing. There's a yoke-style steering wheel in front of the rather low driver's seat, intuitive switchgear that brings essential functions within reach so you don't even have to look closely to discern which buttons and knobs you're touching, and a minimalist monochrome screen cluster.
The previous LFA, with its 4.8-liter V10, made an immense 553 hp and 354 lb.ft (480 Nm) of torque, and hit a top speed of 202 mph (325 km/h). Only 500 of those beauties were ever produced. The Toyota GR GT makes a fair bit more at 641 hp and 627 lb.ft (850 Nm) of torque.
Should the LFA Concept turn into a proper production car, it'll match those figures, if not exceed them, with its electric propulsion system. Expect to pay six figures for it, and possibly engage in fisticuffs to get your name on the waitlist.
Sign up on the LFA Concept page to get updates on this model, which is probably a couple of years out.
Source: Toyota
