What happened with the Lexus LF-A?

Have you noticed that there are no news about the LF-A supercar ever since the Nissan Gt-R has been launched? No? Well it did! Once the production GT-R arrived, the Lexus LF-A prototypes disappeared from the Nurburgring.

Corvette engineers have been at the Nordschliefe in the 620-horse ZR1 running what appear to be comfortable 7min 40sec laps. But the LF-As, ’Ring-side spy shots of which arrived here almost on a weekly basis over the past few months, simple disappeared!

Originally revealed at the 2005 Detroit Show as a concept, the LF-A (a prototype caught at the ’Ring last year is pictured) features carbon-fiber intensive construction, and an F1-inspired naturally aspirated V-10 with at least 500hp. (A hybrid V-8 — the electric motors drove the front wheels — was tested at one point, but our intel suggests Toyota has gone back to the original V-10 idea.) Toyota has pledged the LF-A will be the company’s first genuine supercar.

Toyota’s problem is this: The GT-R has set the performance bar incredibly high for the next Japanese supercar. And Toyota being Toyota, delivering a supercar that’s second-best to a Nissan is unthinkable, especially if it’s going to carry the Lexus badge. The LF-A has to be faster than the GT-R, in a straight line, and around the legendary Nordschliefe. Otherwise it risks being perceived a failure.