2011 Lexus LFA

2 Ratings: 4.0

New supercar from Lexus with 552-hp V10 engine

Lexus Announces Price of All-New LFA Supercar TORRANCE, Calif. (Feb. 24, 2010) – Lexus today announced the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $375,000 for the all-new 2012 LFA supercar. The MSRP does not include … see full wiki

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2012 Lexus LFA Supercar is a True Anomaly

Feb 27, 2010

by earthshift
posted in Sub5Zero | Redefining Performance

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Today, the official pricing and options for the 2012 Lexus LFA were announced. This vehicle is one of the most difficult cars to truly wrap your head around. At $375,000, it's more than any of the base models in lineups from Ferrari and Lamborghini, the first two companies that come to mind when thinking about supercars. It can sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 3.7 seconds, which is not particularly fast among its competition. In fact the $70,000 Nissan GTR can perform the same feat in just 3.5 seconds. And Lexus doesn't exactly have supercar credentials. Their last attempt at a high-performance car was the IS-F, which just didn't make any waves.

Even with its 552 horsepower 4.8-liter V10 I just wasn't sold on this new halo car until I came across the Lexus LFA at the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, where it made its US debut. I didn't even need to drive it to know that it was truly special. The car has all of the styling and design cues to let you know that it's a supercar but still fits with the Lexus brand aesthetic somehow. There are scoops, inlets, spoilers and skirting everywhere and yet it just works somehow. The interior is sublime and the cockpit laden with dark carbon fiber along with bright red leather and suede.

So, what is the Lexus LFA all about? For starters, the car tips the scales at only 3,263-pounds, truly lightweight for a luxury sports car. Toyota managed to create the LFA using 65 percent composites and 35 percent aluminum. There is no steel anywhere to be found. Almost all of the components were manufactured in house. Which leads us partially to the answer to the question of why? Why now, why this car?

Toyota knows that the next generation of cars will need to rely on the use of stronger and lighter exotic materials. And there will need to be plenty of technological breakthroughs along the way. Only 500 Lexus LFAs will be produced, all at a loss, but Toyota will be able to offset a portion of their overall R&D costs while creating a platform that gives them plenty of buzz, a strong showing in the motorsports arena and a very different face then they had before its creation.