Lexus LF-A Prototype for 24h Rennen Nürburgring

[HeilSvenska]

Ronny Küng tests the lexus LFA (Nürburgring) - YouTube

...and it'll enter the 24h Rennen Nürburgring along with the Volkswagen Scirroco driven by Carlos Sainz.

Sure it sounds good, but it's the race version, and you just don't do that kind of speed on the road. It probably won't sound as good as a production car. But here's to hoping.

[MidEngine4Life]

Wow not only does it sound awesome but its beautiful as well

[fordgt84]

i just hope it finishes the race, that would be an achievement on its own

japan is hogging the spot light in the sports car industry at the moment, and they deserve it with all the new exciting metal they're giving/gonna give us

[HeilSvenska]

japan is hogging the spot light in the sports car industry at the moment, and they deserve it with all the new exciting metal they're giving/gonna give us
Hmmm. I didn't get that impression. 99% of that spotlight is due to the GT-R. But whatever. More V8/V10 cars for everyone!

[fordgt84]

^ ok maybe hogging it all is abit of an overstatement, but they're definitely being watched, as u said cuz of the gtr and also cuz of this lexus, the upcoming nsx, the next supra (if they'll build it), and not to mention that upcoming ae86/impreza coupe

[HeilSvenska]

^ ok maybe hogging it all is abit of an overstatement, but they're definitely being watched, as u said cuz of the gtr and also cuz of this lexus, the upcoming nsx, the next supra (if they'll build it), and not to mention that upcoming ae86/impreza coupe
I'm just saying. GT-R's the only car out on the market. The LF-A's been in development for 3 years now, with no end in sight. The upcoming NSX is a joke so far, as nothing but negative things have been associated with it. The rumors of Supra being a hybrid isn't very flattering either. Oh, and there are reports about Subaru getting cold feet with the RWD coupe idea.

I mean, we car nuts know about all these upcoming Japanese products, those are pretty obscure to the public.

[dannyroz]

I'm just saying. GT-R's the only car out on the market. The LF-A's been in development for 3 years now, with no end in sight. The upcoming NSX is a joke so far, as nothing but negative things have been associated with it. The rumors of Supra being a hybrid isn't very flattering either. Oh, and there are reports about Subaru getting cold feet with the RWD coupe idea.

I mean, we car nuts know about all these upcoming Japanese products, those are pretty obscure to the public.


Dude, they are trying to compete with worlds best sports cars. Japan are very loyal to themselves and have a history of copying the best car designs and making it their own. Now that there are no HP restrictions in Japan, they are able to develop their cars to beat the M3s and AMGs of the world.

GTR was the first, fine...Ill agree that it has all the hypes first, but Japan is in a Sports car revolution just like we were 15 years ago. Plus, with the world economies getting very strong (India, China, Russia), more people can afford them. Honda and Toyota have gone way too long without a serious sports car and its about damn time.

I don't like Nissan designs but I have to say, at least they know there customers and give them what they want, when it comes to sport cars at least. Honda too now that I think of it, but Nissan is def sports car numba won :lol:

[torrentjunkie]

Dude, they are trying to compete with worlds best sports cars. Japan are very loyal to themselves and have a history of copying the best car designs and making it their own. Now that there are no HP restrictions in Japan, they are able to develop their cars to beat the M3s and AMGs of the world.

GTR was the first, fine...Ill agree that it has all the hypes first, but Japan is in a Sports car revolution just like we were 15 years ago. Plus, with the world economies getting very strong (India, China, Russia), more people can afford them. Honda and Toyota have gone way too long without a serious sports car and its about damn time.

I don't like Nissan designs but I have to say, at least they know there customers and give them what they want, when it comes to sport cars at least. Honda too now that I think of it, but Nissan is def sports car numba won :lol:


i second that, however I think the japanese manufacturers are over the blatant copying days, they're more about obsessive competition, and I think they're really coming into their own these days especially in terms of styling, eg. the rx-8, nobody saw that coming, the GT-R, the new EVO and its hatch, of course there is the exception of the impreza...

[79TA]

Japan is in a Sports car revolution just like we were 15 years ago.

I don't remember anything too great in 1993 . . .

Here's what I remember happening with the main American performance cars. I'm not as familiar with what was happening elsewhere in the performance car market at the time.
- last year of the Fox body - to be replaced by SN95 Mustang
- first year of the 4th gen Camaro and the LT1
- end of the middle of the C4 vette's life
- beginning of the Viper's life

As for Japanese cars, there was the Supra, NSX, and RX7. Then the Impreza WRX's and Lancer Evolutions were starting to get some recognition as well. Is that what you're referring to, Japanese cars from 15 years ago?

[dannyroz]

LOL you just answered your own question, and you forgot 300ZX

[79TA]

I was asking for clarification since you said "we" after you referenced Japan (one would expect a "they" to be used . . . unless of course you're from Japan)

[torrentjunkie]

LOL you just answered your own question, and you forgot 300ZX

also the Mitsubishi 3000gt and a collection of hot hatches, Type-R models, Miatas etc.

[HeilSvenska]

also the Mitsubishi 3000gt and a collection of hot hatches, Type-R models, Miatas etc.
I just don't see the same thing happening right now. The LF-A looks good, but the release date is still TBA, Honda's NSX replacement is still in development hell, RX-7 replacement is MIA along with the Stupra.
No Japanese "revolution" at the moment from where I see. :-P

[torrentjunkie]

I just don't see the same thing happening right now. The LF-A looks good, but the release date is still TBA, Honda's NSX replacement is still in development hell, RX-7 replacement is MIA along with the Stupra.
No Japanese "revolution" at the moment from where I see. :-P

think revolution in terms of development itself, japanese cars aren't governed to the previous gentleman's agreement of 280bhp, as a result they do have to spend more and more time developing components to handle the increase in power for competition on the world stage (the GT-R took almost 6 years to develop). You also need to know the japanese are an uber meticulous lot, and i think they really are trying to get rid of the 'copycat' image by doing things their way which incidentally may take an eternity. You can however bet your bottom dollar that when those cars do arrive they will be as good as, if not better than anything else on offer (from an engineering, performance perspective at least) eg. (and i know you must be sick of this by now) the GT-R destroys almost anything from porsche, bmw and mercedes away, so do the Lexus IS-F and The EVO X, the hardcore japanese Civic Type-R, and in the next few years you can expect that list to lenghten quite considerably.

[79TA]

ehh, I can't quite see the same sort of revolution. The GT-R was a big development and we'll see how the IS-F stacks up against the competition. Other mainstays like the WRX and Evo have been fattening up and aren't quite the enthusiast cars that they once were. They're not incapable of course, but they're just "maturing."

The new Civic type R hasn't really made the same impact that the last one did.

The performance market as a whole as been on an upswing in recent years, but there's just not the same kind of explosion or rebirth of new performance cars.

[5vz-fe]

The GT-R was a big development, but I can see Toyota probably putting as much (if not more) effort on thelir LF-A. It's just that the Nissan's marketing team constantly putting the GT-R development under the spot light to make you think it will be a bigger revolution than any other car that's all.

[04RCSTI]

I think the new Toyobaru thats coming out is going to add to the list of good cars that are coming out of Japan... I really hope for that RWD STI engined Coupe. Fingers crossed that it doesnt look like crap..

[HeilSvenska]

I think the new Toyobaru thats coming out is going to add to the list of good cars that are coming out of Japan... I really hope for that RWD STI engined Coupe. Fingers crossed that it doesnt look like crap..

Hopefully, it doesn't look like that. And STI engined? Maybe not. It seems like they want something pretty small.


One topic of debate that began raging after Toyota and Subaru officially announced their collaboration on a lightweight, rear-wheel-drive coupe was how the Toyobaru would be marketed, particularly with both brands getting their own models. Apparently, Subaru execs share our concerns.

Subaru has branded itself as the purveyor of competent, multi-purpose vehicles that begin and end with one distinct feature: all-wheel-drive. By adding another vehicle into its lineup lacking that core trait, Subaru risks diluting its hard-earned image, not to mention going toe-to-toe with the Toyota monolith by selling a badge-engineered variant.

Automotive News spoke with Fuji Heavy Industries overseas sales chief, Mat Nagato, who said, "We may lose our longstanding territory, or we may lose the great niche brand image. The potential risk is there. We have to be very smart on marketing strategy." This issue has to be weighed against the short-term gain of a new, inexpensive model for enthusiasts and Subaru's continued growth, but the simple solution would be to nix the Subaru version altogether, allow Toyota to brand the new coupe as its own and rake in the cash provided by the partnership. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen, so the only thing Subaru can do now is make an attempt to differentiate its own version from Toyota's, while praying that consumers won't forget what "Makes a Subaru a Subaru."



Anyways, I shouldn't hijack my own thread.

One question I have for Toyota is how the LF-A's going to look. They already had 2 different versions, but all the mules, including the race version, look like they were based on the first design. Does that mean that the second one (which had the melted look) is moot?

[HeilSvenska]

Lexus LF-A first Race 2008 !! Track Nürburgring-Nordschleife - YouTube
The race-prepared Lexus LF-A--first spotted during manufacturer testing at the 'Ring on April 17th--made its official competition debut on Saturday in the ADAC Rundstrecken Trophy Endurance series in Germany. The race was run on a combination of the Nürburgring Nordschleife, along with a sprint portion of the famous Grand Prix circuit, with each lap covering 15.18 miles (24.433 km). Saturday's race was one of seven four-hour races this year, with a six-hour race and a 24-hour race rounding out the series. In its inaugural four-hour race, the LFA covered 23 laps, grabbing 77th place and a fastest lap of 9:06. While that lap may sound slow compared to the Nissan GT-R's best 'Ring time of 7:29, one must take into account the longer laps with the addition of the Grand Prix sprint, and fighting race traffic (which consisted of several racing classes similar to an ALMS series). The LF-A drove in group SP8. The drivers that piloted the LF-A are listed as Nakaya, Akihiko, llda, Akira, Kinoshita, and Takauki. The LF-A is expected to continue competitive runs in this series, including the 24-hour race at the end of this month--as part of the LF-A's development process.

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/lexus-lf-a-racecar-at-the-nurburgring/