lfa Archives | Page 2 of 2

Lexus to finally debut LFA with exclusive Nürburgring package in Geneva

Filed under: Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Lexus

Lexus LFA Nürburgring package

2012 Lexus LFA Nürburgring Package – Click above for high-res image gallery

Typically, when an automaker launches a new car, or even a variant on an existing one, we get a chance to see it up close at a major auto show within a matter of months at most. But it will have been the better part of a year by the time we see the Lexus LFA with the Nürburgring package in the flesh.

The track-focused version of the Toyota luxury division’s supercar was released all the way back in May 2010, but Lexus has only now announced that it will make its public debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in March of this year. For a quick refresher, the ‘Ring edition LFA upgrades the 4.8-liter V10 by ten horses to 562 and drops the shift times down by 50 miliseconds to 150. It also gets an upgraded aero package, all for a $70,000 premium over the “stock” LFA’s $375k sticker price.

With only 50 of the total run of 500 offered with the package, this could be one of our only chances to see the track-prep’d LFA in the flesh, so watch this space in a few weeks’ time for live shots from the Geneva Palexpo show floor.

Gallery: Lexus LFA Nurburgring Package

[Source: Lexus]

Continue reading Lexus to finally debut LFA with exclusive Nürburgring package in Geneva

Lexus to finally debut LFA with exclusive Nürburgring package in Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Lexus to finally debut LFA with exclusive Nürburgring package in Geneva”

Video: Man celebrates Lexus LFA arrival with donuts

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Videos, Lexus

Lexus LFA donuts

Javier Quirós takes his new Lexus LFA for a spin – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Lucky Lexus owners across the globe are eager to receive their new LFA supercars. Javier Quirós of Costa Rica is one such person, and decided to celebrate the delivery of his red LFA in a manner befitting such a vehicle… by doing a few donuts.

Don’t worry about Javier losing control of the 552-horsepower, 10-cylinder two-door. Quirós is a race driver with Gazoo Racing and president of Purdy Motor, the Costa Rican distributor for Toyota products. Javier has competed around the globe at tracks like Daytona and the Nürburgring.

You can’t see it in the video but we imagine Mr. Quirós’ smile is wider than the grille on the front of his new LFA. This is LFA #0014, which Quirós specially requested from Akio Toyoda because 14 is his usual racing number. Click past the jump for the clip.

[Source: YouTube via LexusEnthusiast]

Continue reading Video: Man celebrates Lexus LFA arrival with donuts

Video: Man celebrates Lexus LFA arrival with donuts originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: Man celebrates Lexus LFA arrival with donuts”

CEC announces Lexus LFA customization program

Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Lexus

CEC Wheels Lexus LFA

CEC Lexus LFA – Click above for high-res image gallery

Los Angeles-based tuner CEC has announced a new partnership with Lexus North America to create a tuning program for the Lexus LFA. Limited to just three vehicles, these unique supercars will feature a variety of enhancements created specifically for each customer. “We believe these three CEC Tuner Edition LFAs will be the most expensive and rarest of all the LFA supercars that Lexus will manufacturer and sell worldwide,” said Sherif Yassa, Vice President of CEC.

Thanks to the technical innovations that went into building the LFA, the CEC upgrades will mostly be limited to aesthetics. “We looked at the LFA and what Lexus engineers had done, and knew it would be crazy to try and improve it from a performance or engineering standpoint,” said Claus Ettensberger, founder of CEC. Even so, the tuner has managed to squeeze an extra 10 horsepower from the 4.8-liter V10 and trimmed shift times to .15 of a second.

While we don’t have any photos of the trio of custom LFA supercars quite yet, CEC did have an LFA on display featuring their lightweight forged wheels. You can see high-res photos of the car in the gallery below.

Gallery: CEC Lexus LFA

CEC Lexus LFA

CEC announces Lexus LFA customization program originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 19:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “CEC announces Lexus LFA customization program”

Lexus LFA launch control details revealed

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Lexus

2011 Lexus LFA

2011 Lexus LFA – Click above for high-res image gallery

As any drag racer will tell you, achieving the perfect launch is something of an art form. Or maybe it’s closer to a religion to the people constantly struggling to find exactly the right RPM, clutch technique and number of prayers to the God of the Quarter Mile.

Naturally, having a computer take all the guesswork out of the process (cheating? Not if everyone else is doing it… and they are) makes everything more than a little bit easier. The Lexus LFA is the latest supercar to get the technology here in the States. But how does it work?

Glad you asked. Lexus’ carbon fiber wonder-mobile is finally hitting the streets, and its handy-dandy owner’s manual outlines the launch controll process rather nicely. Nicely, but not exactly easily… as you might expect from a factory-installed technology that is known to be rather stressful on drivetrain components. See what we mean after the break.

Gallery: First Drive: 2011 Lexus LFA

[Source: Lexus Enthusiast]

Continue reading Lexus LFA launch control details revealed

Lexus LFA launch control details revealed originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Lexus LFA launch control details revealed”

Rumormill: Lotus Esprit to use LFA V10, V8 in lesser spec

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Paris Motor Show, Lotus, Rumormill, Luxury

Lexus LFA engine

Now this is a rumor. According to the crafty crew at Inside Line, Lotus is set to release details on its planned resurrection of the long-dead Esprit at this year’s Paris Motor Show. Even better? There’s some indication that the top-of-the-line model may pack the same heavenly V10 found in the current Lexus LFA. Oh yes, we’re excited. Inside Line spoke with someone at Lexus who’s cozy with the deal who hinted that the 552-horsepower 10-pot would find its way into the car in order to help it better compete with the likes of Ferrari. That’s right, kids; Lotus is movin’ on up.

There’s also word that lower-rung trims will receive the same 5.0-liter V8 found in the Lexus IS-F. With 416 horsepower, that lump is no slouch. Both engine choices would seem to dovetail with the close partnership we’ve seen between Lotus and Lexus parent company Toyota in the past, and with new Lotus CEO Dany Bahar (formerly of Ferrari) clamoring for ever more powerful, upscale models, all of the puzzle pieces seem to be falling into place.

Still, that’s almost way too much awesome for most manufacturers to handle. Fortunately, the Paris show is just a handful of weeks away, so we should know which parts of this rumor are solid in short order.

[Source: Inside Line]

Rumormill: Lotus Esprit to use LFA V10, V8 in lesser spec originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Rumormill: Lotus Esprit to use LFA V10, V8 in lesser spec”

Rumormill: Lexus to build GT racing version of LFA, GT1 or GT2?

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Lexus, Racing

Lexus LFA race edition

Lexus LFA race edition – Click above for high-res image gallery

Motor Trend is reporting that Toyota’s may be getting back into motorsports big-time with a GT entry based on the Lexus LFA. According to the report, Lexus would enter the FIA GT1 championship to take on the Nissan GT-R. This seems like a move downmarket for the $375,000 Lexus sports car from a marketing standpoint. GT1 is also a faltering race class that’s being eliminated under the new 2011 Le Mans rules.

If Toyota wants to race the LFA, it would make more sense to head to Le Mans where it can take on Ferraris, Aston Martins and Porsches in the GT2 class. The LFA race edition (above) that’s already been developed and run in the last two 24 hour races at the Nürburgring would already be close to GT2 specification and could be ready for the 2011 race season.

Gallery: 2010 Lexus LFA racer

[Source: Motor Trend]

Rumormill: Lexus to build GT racing version of LFA, GT1 or GT2? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Rumormill: Lexus to build GT racing version of LFA, GT1 or GT2?”

Lexus allowing outright purchase of LFA in U.S., demands right of first refusal if you try to sell it

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, Lexus

Lexus LFA shown

Lexus LFA – Click above for high-res image gallery

Shortly after the LFA supercar was unveiled last fall, Lexus announced that it would only be available to lease in the U.S. Toyota’s intent was to drive speculators out of the market for its $375,000 supercar by forcing owners to hold onto the car for at least two years. Once the lease was up, customers would then have the option to buy the car outright. That two-year lease, by the way, costs the princely sum of nearly $300,000, which Lexus wants upfront as part of its 1Pay Lease Program rather than in monthly installments.

Lexus has apparently had a slight change of heart. According to a letter delivered to Autoblog by an LFA intender (see below in gallery), American customers will now be able to buy the LFA outright, but only on the condition that they sign an agreement giving the dealer first right of refusal to buy back the LFA if the owner wants to sell it within the first two years. The dealer will have the option to buy back the used LFA for either fair market value or the original sticker price, whichever is lower.

What happens if an owner sells the LFA within two years having not given the dealer the chance to buy it back first? The dealer is owed the difference between what the buyer originally paid for the car and what he sold it for, plus any legal fees. So whether you decide to lease or buy the LFA, Toyota is going to considerable lengths to ensure that no speculators will make a profit on reselling the LFA during the first two years.

Though 99.9 percent of Autoblog readers are most likely not in the market for an LFA, we’re still curious if Toyota’s tactics strike you as fair or would deter you from handing over your inheritance for a car that comes with strings attached, so have your say in Comments.

Gallery: First Drive: 2011 Lexus LFA

Gallery: Lexus LFA Purchasing Letter

Lexus allowing outright purchase of LFA in U.S., demands right of first refusal if you try to sell it originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Lexus allowing outright purchase of LFA in U.S., demands right of first refusal if you try to sell it”