This year has been a little lackluster for Lexus in terms of beating our their competition, but the luxury end of Toyota is getting back on track for what it says will be a couple of exciting years. With all its latest innovations, Lexus is planning a few big things to battle it out against the likes of BMW and Mercedes. This includes a full refresh of its luxury sedans, as well as a kick-the-competition-in-the-ass LF-A Roadster.
The passenger-car lineup will be made over by the spring of 2013, as the GS, ES, IS, and LS sedans will all be either redesigned or re-engineered. However, the biggest gun in the arsenal will be the LF-A supercar. The 500 units for the current LF-A coupe will be finished by 2013, then a roadster version will be unveiled in 2014. This model was actually previewed by the LF-A Roadster concept unveiled in 2008, but the production version will feature the company’s latest design language. Lexus hasn’t said anything about the more powerful version of their LF-A supercar rumored a while ago, but we hope that will be their secret weapon somewhere down the line.
In addition to the sedan redo and the drop top LF-A, Lexus also has plans for the future GS-F performance edition and the LS. The company has said that the high-performance version will not feature a conventional V8 engine, but a hybrid drivetrain. The LS will also be redesigned in 2013 - it will get weight-saving technology using premium materials and a new, more economical engine.
The Lexus LFA Nurburgring Package just proved it is worthy of its name. During this past weekend’s ADAC 24 hour race at Nurburgring with Gazoo Racing’s Akira Iida behind the wheel, the car lapped the Nurburgring race track in 7:22.85 purely for exhibition purposes.
Lexus stated that this wasn’t an "official" lap time, but just a warm up to a possible official attempt later this year. However, despite that fact, this lap time places the LFA Nurburgring Package in 10th place for the fastest production vehicle on the Nurburgring track, and it did it with minimal effort. We can’t wait to see what it can do when it goes balls to the wall!
Short reminder: The Lexus LF-A is powered by a 4.8 liter V10 that delivers a maximum output of 560 HP, but for the LF-A Nurburgring Track Edition the output will be raised to 570 HP. The sprint from 0 to 60 mph will be made in 3.7 seconds, and top speed will go up to 210 mph.
A few days ago, some rumors about a second generation Lexus LF-A started to circulate on the internet. It could have been a passing whisper and it would have been all we needed to start dreaming about what this mode would look like. The rendering above is what we came up with.
Let’s face facts, the Lexus LF-A doesn’t exactly need any major changes, so it will pick up where the Lexus LF-A Nurburgring Package left off in terms of style and sport. Lexus will not be making any significant changes to the LFA, but we may see a new headlamps design, larger air intakes, a more discrete rear spoiler, and a slimmer profile.
In terms of power, the current V10 engine will be tricked to deliver more than 562 HP in order to significantly improve the car’s performance. This will mean that it could complete the 0-60 mph sprint in less than 3.7 seconds. Top speed should also exceed the Nurburgring model’s 210 mph.
If the Lexus LFA II makes it to production, it will probably come out sometime in 2013 and will be offered as an expensive, limited edition.
Aston Martin and their V12 Zagato Racer better be on top of their game when it comes to this year’s 24-hours of Nürburgring. Lexus, in cooperation with Gazoo Racing, will be entering the race with a pretty impressive LF-A supercar that should give fellow racers a run for their money.
During its latest testing, the Lexus LFA by Gazoo started off from position 12 and finished the race in fifth place with an average speed of 161.139 km/h. Its fastest lap was completed with an average speed of 170.540 km/h, corresponding to a lap time of 8:34.416 for the combination of the shortened GP-track and the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring. This is an impressive result considering that, at a previous test session, the car suffered a stroke of bad luck another car crashed into it when the LFA driver, Ishiura, was entering Turn 1. This resulted in a severely damaged rear righthand section, retiring the vehicle from the race.
Gazoo Racing has been working with the Lexus LFA for the past three years, even before the street version of the vehicle went on sale in 2010. During that time, Gazoo has been revising the vehicle to obtain maximum results on the track. These revisions include tuning the vehicle’s underbody with carbon fiber reinforced plastic, as well as switching out its tires for Bridgestone racing tires, size 330/40R18. Gazoo also took the liberty of adding a few aerodynamic parts to complete the look and feel of the racer. Under the hood, we’ll find the same 4805 cc V10 engine with over 560 HP coursing through its automotive veins.
Make sure you check out the Lexus LFA at the ADAC 24 hour race on June 25, 2011, but for now, hit the jump to see a video of Hiroaki Ishiura, one of three professional drivers who will be piloting the LFA on the day of the race, as he gets through some of the vehicle’s testing.
Japanese automakers seem to be unstoppable even after their country has been stricken by the horrendous natural disasters as of late. These ambitious companies are still plowing full steam ahead with even better versions of their vehicles. Recently, we reported on the 2013 Nissan GT-R and its impressive output of 560 HP, and now it seems as if Lexus is hard at work as well with a more powerful version of their LF-A supercar.
Rumors spinning the mill suggest that after all 500 units of the current LFA are sold, the company will bring out an even hotter variant of the existing model. It is not certain whether this will be a new generation LFA, but Japanese magazine, Best Car, is reporting it as the LF-A II. Whatever it is, the new LF-A will continue where the LF-A Nurburgring Edition left off by adding even more power and sportiness to the car. This would mean the new LFA will have more than 562 HP and will complete the 0-60 mph sprint in less than 3.7 seconds. Top speed should also exceed the Nurburgring model’s 210 mph.
