Could the Lexus LF-A production super GT be ready for Tokyo?

[Elmo187]

Source: WCF

Lexus is planning on unleashing its much-awaited LF-A sports car at the Tokyo Motor Show in November according to InsideLine. The LF-A had previously been thought to be dead in the water, however, later stories of its resurrection surfaced. Lately it has been quiet on that front until now.

This bodes well for the Tokyo show which at some point was being considered for closure this year. That doesn't seem to be realistic for now but the authorities are saying the show will be cut by four days. Some major exhibitors like Mercedes-Benz, General Motors, BMW, Nissan, Lamborghini and Volkswagen have pulled out of the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.

Big international motor exhibitions are but one of the side industries being affected by the sharp slump in motor vehicle production and sales. It was only days ago that reports suggested the British Motor Show was cancelled from 2010.

The Lexus LF-A would be powered by a 600hp (441kW) Lexus V10 engine and be capable of sub-5 second 0-100km/h sprint times. It was supposed to be the Lexus challenger to what was the next Honda NSX but unfortunately for Honda fans that project was canned in line with cost-cutting measures.

Another probable reveal will be the rear-wheel-drive sports car jointly developed by Subaru and Toyota. The car is powered by a compact four-cylinder engine capable of 220hp (162kW). In keeping with the times Toyota will showcase a new range of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles as well.

and by the way, if they're talking about the boxer EJ25 from the WRX, then its going to have 265hp, not 220.

[Elmo187]

Nissan, i believe you have met your match. and i believe once Toyota reveals this car, an explosion of exciting cars will be coming out of the woodwork for Toyota.

[Elmo187]

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good god, that engine sounds GORGEOUS!

[EtanClan]

This thing looks and sounds pretty damn great...hopefully it'll be nice in its true form

[Elmo187]

Source: Motor Authority

Though over a year has elapsed since the Lexus LF-A was first spotted in testing, and it's been almost a year since it last ran the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, the crew at Lexus are prepping the perpetual prototype for yet another running of the ADAC Zurich 24h Race, and now they've released photos of the race car that'll be hitting the track.

Last time around the car used the day-long race track outing to give the LF-A's systems a real stress test, to iron out the bugs in the chassis and tuning and to further develop their own technical capabilities. This year the plan focuses on the same concerns, though there will be one major difference - Toyota’s incoming CEO, Akio Toyoda, will be getting some seat time in the Lexus supercar.

While you might expect Toyoda to be just another boring executive type, the incoming CEO is keen to see the carmaker offer more performance models and was one of the key people involved with development of the Lexus IS-F - even donning a racing suit and getting behind the wheel during high-speed testing. He’s also previously expressed a desire to bring back Toyota sports cars like the Celica and Supra, and his planned efforts at next month’s Nurburging 24-hour race only reaffirm this commitment.

For those who don’t know, Toyoda is the 52 year-old grandson of Toyota founder Kiichiro Toyoda, and he’s set to replace the carmaker’s current chief, Katsuaki Watanabe, this June.

As for the specially prepped LF-A race car, it will feature a 4.8L V10 rated at over 492hp (367kW), a carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) body shell, and will race in the Division 2 SP8 class for near-production engines. The layout of the car is a front-mid engine, rear-mid transaxle with rear radiator, with a paddle-shifted manual transmission. The 20in wheels are wrapped in 305/30 Bridgestone racing rubber.

The race kicks off on May 23, though practice will start May 21, so if you're in the neighborhood of the Nurburgring, get your tickets and take the chance to get a look at what might be the next Lexus supercar - if it ever makes it to production.

does anybody know if there's a restriction on engine size in the near-production class? because 4.8 sounds a bit compact. i don't know, maybe i was right about the engine being based off the old Toyota F1 V10. that's why its pretty compact.