The new Lexus LFA marks an important moment in both the history of Lexus and the development of the supercar. Constructed using advanced carbon fiber technology, the rear-wheel drive Lexus LFA is powered by a bespoke, high-revving 552-hp 4.8-litre naturally-aspirated V-10 engine, matched to a rear-mounted six-speed sequential automatic transmission, giving 200-mph-plus performance.
CFRP accounts for 65 percent of the body-in-white, with aluminum alloy used for the remaining 35 percent.
The heart of the Lexus LFA is a bespoke naturally-aspirated V10 engine. With a curb weight of 3,263 lbs., the Lexus LFA has a power to weight ratio among the highest of any current supercar.
The Lexus LFA boasts class-leading aerodynamics to achieve drivetrain cooling and superb high-speed handling and stability. The Lexus LFA will be hand-assembled at the Motomachi plant in Toyota City.
The Lexus LFA project began life in 2000. The intention was to enter the exotic sports-car world alongside Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche. As the concept cars were making their rounds on the auto show circuit in 2005, work had already started on the Lexus LFA prototypes at the Mecca of sports-car development — the Nürburgring Nordschleife track in Germany. A few weeks prior the show, we were invited to the Nordschleife to experience the car for ourselves.
On the outside, the LFA conveys a high-tech image. The instrument panel features a ringed LCD display showing the speed digitally with engine rpm presented in analog format using computer-generated graphics. Behind the steering wheel are stationary downshift (left) and upshift (right) paddles actuating the 6-speed transmission.
Blip the throttle. On the roads around the Nürburgring, the Lexus LFA is docile. Tackle a corner a bit more aggressively and the Lexus responds with quick turn-in. On the Autobahn where the car can stretch its legs, 180 mph can be reached easily with absolute stability and confidence. Through the back section of the Nordschleife where a few off-camber turns can upset the car, the Lexus LFA pulls through with minimal drama. The car feels lively as it dances through the corners, the Torsen limited-slip differential helping the car blast out of the turns. Carbon-ceramic rotors mean the car slows consistently with zero fade, but the pedal travel is a bit too long.
This dramatically different Japanese sports car combines high technology with maximum user-friendliness. The carbon-fiber center tub did save 220 pounds and is four times as rigid as the previous spaceframe design, and it also taught Lexus some valuable lessons with regard to future higher-volume production concepts. Using heavily modified, laser-equipped Toyota looms to weave the fibers in new high-strength patterns, the Japanese created a very stiff passenger cell composed of three moldings. For maximum strength and rigidity, embedded aluminum collars were developed to attach the front and rear subframes. To achieve the desired 48/52 percent front/rear weight distribution, the engineers opted for rear-mounted radiators and a transaxle, and they set the front-mounted engine back in the chassis. In the front, the LFA relies on an aluminum-intensive control-arm suspension and compact springs; low-friction dampers with remote fluid reservoirs; and a tubular antiroll bar.
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