Lexus cars

Video: Did the Lexus LF-A AD-X break its namesake’s Nurburgring record?

7:14. That’s the current record time held by the Lexus LF-A around the Nurburgring. Pretty impressive, right?

Well, it looks like Lexus thinks it can do better and last week, the Japanese automaker took to the Nurburgring to attempt a single lap with their latest one-off LF-A model, the AD-X.

The video shows us glimpses of the LF-A AD-X’s hot lap around the Nurburgring. It doesn’t say whether the ADX was able to break its namesake’s record, but with all the modifications fitted into this one-off race car - the enormous rear wing, the small winglets, and the carbon fiber diffuser are only a few of the modifications done to this mighty racer - we’d be disappointed if the AD-X wasn’t able to shed off a few seconds off of the LF-A’s Nurbugring lap record.

The video comes courtesy of BridgestoGantry.com and even they don’t know if the LF-A AD-X managed to break the record, but like they said, if the one-off race car was able to do it, you can be sure that Lexus will tell the whole world about it sooner than later.

2012 Lexus LF-A National Breast Cancer Awareness Edition

Earlier this month, we ran a top 10 column on some of the best pink cars we’ve ever seen as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The thing is, if this Japanese beauty was released earlier, it would’ve almost certainly made it on that list.

This pink Lexus LF-A comes by way of Lexus of Brisbane in Australia to show their support of National Breast Cancer Awareness month. It’s probably the only pink Lexus in Australia, maybe even the world, so you know that there’s a special uniqueness to it. And since it’s an LF-A, it’s got all-world performance credentials, thanks in large part to a 4.8-liter V10 engine that produces 562 horsepower with a 0-62 mph time of 3.7 seconds a top speed of 202 mph.

The car was built with the help of the Faingaa Twins, Ant and Saia, two brothers who play professional rugby in Australia, and more importantly, are both ambassadors for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Needless to say, these guys sure know how to make the kind of statement that resonates to a lot of people.

“Along with donations, auction items and support of the Fainga’a Twins Charity Golf Day, going pink is our way reminding all of Brisbane that October is the month of Breast Cancer Awareness,” said Lexus of Brisbane dealer principal Andrew Scifleet.

2013 Lexus LF-A AD-X Special Edition

The Nurburgring has been pretty crowded with supercars in the past week with the Mercedes SLS Black Edition and the Audi R8 GT making their testing appearances on the "Green Hell." Now, a new hardcore Lexus LF-A has also been caught testing at the track. Joining the previous AD-A and AD-B prototypes spotted, the new AD-X looks like an even more track-focused version of the LFA!

At first glance, anyone would believe that this is just a regular LF-A Nurburgring Edition, but a closer look would reveal some significant changes. While the first two prototypes used a blue-carbon fiber combination and a green finish with carbon fiber, this prototype’s color reminds us of the classic Porsche 911 Carrera RS.

Other changes include the carbon fiber roof, pillars, and spoiler, as well as the front air splitter which is much more pronounced, sticking out quite a bit further than the splitter we’ve seen on the LF-A Nurburgring Edition.

Since a standard LF-A delivers 552 HP out of its V10 engine, it is very probable that this model will get an increased output of up to 600 HP.

Excited yet? Well, hold your horses because the Lexus LF-A AD-X Special Edition will only be produced as a one-off.

Video: Jay Leno Drives a One-Of-A-Kind Lexus LFA Spyder

As car buffs, we all can’t help but be extremely jealous of Jay Leno. Not only does he have a collection of cars that most automotive museums would crave, but he also gets to drive some of the rarest cars in the world. This time around, he gets to drive the rarest version of one of the rarest cars in the world.

The Lexus LFA only saw a total of 500 examples built and that’s no mas. To boot, all 500 examples were never touched by anyone during the entire manufacturing and testing phase, as they all were required to wear gloves during the whole process. The 500th example of the LFA just so happens to be the only production LFA that lacks a key component: a roof.

Yes, this one-of-a-kind LFA is a real-life spyder. Not one that has a folding roof, a removable hard top, or even a rag top; it has no roof at all. So when you have a one-off model of a 500-model production car that no one in the production process is allowed to touch, what should you do the second it rolls off of the production line? Let Jay Leno beat the hell out of it at Fuji Speedway, of course.

Not only is the video awesome because Jay gets us a behind-the-scenes look at the manufacturing process, but you also get a good listen to the sweet sound of that 552-horsepower V-10 working hard. So what does Jay really think about the LFA now that he’s gotten it on the track and felt all the goodness that makes up this Lexus supercar. You’ll have to check out the above video to see.

Video: It’s Customer Appreciation Day, Lexus LF-A Style

Lexus held its first-ever LF-A owners event at the Laguna Seca Raceway on August 23, 2012. This was the perfect opportunity for us to watch a bunch of LF-A supercars in action on the famous raceway.

A Lexus LF-A is powered by a 4.8 liter V10 that delivers a maximum output of 560 HP at 9,000 RPM and a peak torque of 354 lb-ft at 6,800 RPM. In this video, there’s no less than 16 supercars, so our mathematical abilities calculate that there was about 8,960 HP in just one place! Now that’s some math we like to do.

Aside from featuring the Lexus LF-A’s as they do their thing on the track, the video also features Watch Scott Pruett, pro driver, as he gives some helpful hints to nearly two dozen owners. These owners then got to try their hand at one of the most prestigious race tracks in the country. We bet every owner left with a smile on their face that day.

Lexus is heading to Paris and Bringing a new Concept along

Car manufacturers love nothing more than to get us all talking about their latest concept. It makes them even more happy when there is an aura of mystery around it. Well, Toyota is one that loves pulling this stunt (See: over-dramatized 2013 Avalon release). This time around, Lexus, Toyota’s luxury arm, has chosen to remain even more secretive than its older cousin.

This new mystery for us to solve is the upcoming introduction of a new concept car at the Paris Motor Show. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait the full time to catch a glimpse of the new Lexus, as the luxury automaker has promised to release its first images on September 17th.

If Lexus is anything like its parent company, these images will likely be as nondescript as possible and not really reveal anything. Using our magical speculation meters, we are guessing that this will end up being the concept that the next-gen IS will be based off of. If so, we really can’t wait to find out what’s under the hood, as we are anticipating a nasty twin-boosted V-6 to grace the IS-F’s engine compartment.

Given the next-gen IS is about a year or two away, this makes sense for it to still be a concept car. We’ll definitely find out a lot more when Lexus decides to release some images. Hopefully they are enough to at least clue us in on whether it is the new IS lineup or not.

Stay tuned!

2013 Lexus GS 350 F Sport Safety Car

Safety cars are usually reserved for BMW and Mercedes models with added sprinkles of muscle cars here and there. But now, Lexus is joining the fray with introduction of the GS 350 F Sport Safety Car.

Set to make its inaugural duties at the Muscle Car Masters at Sydney Motorsport Park, the GS 350 F Sport Safety Car will, from here on out, serve as the series’ official safety car. To serve in its new official capacity, the GS 350 Sport Safety Car was fitted with all standard equipment befitting its function. The exclusive exterior styling of the car comes with all the decals and an aggressive new body kit. Likewise, the interior was touched up with the same attention to its purpose. Then, the car was also fitted the Lexus Dynamic Handling System (LDHS), a system that features Dynamic Rear Steering (DRS) and Adaptive variable Suspension (AVS).

Under its hood, the GS 350 F Sport Safety Car gets a 3.5-liter V6 engine that produces 317 horsepower, generating a 0-62 mph time of just six seconds with an estimated top speed of 142 mph.

2012 Lexus LF-LC Concept 2

The Lexus LF-Lc concept car was unveiled at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, only to be rumored for immediate production just a short time later. The edgy sports car with hard lines and bold interpretation of the signature Lexus spindle grille and rear architecture made it a vehicle unlike anything in the Lexus lineup, and people couldn’t wait to see its production counterpart.

That wait has just been extended.

Lexus has announced that they will be attending the 2012 Australian Motor Show in Sydney in October and they will be bringing the second iteration of the LF-Lc Concept to the party. They haven’t revealed any details on the concept other than this teaser image as of right now, but we expect to see something that is similar to the original concept, possibly with less drastic design features to lessen the hit when the production model comes out looking nothing like the original. This second concept is rumored to wear an LC 600h badge and will be powered by a 5.0 liter V8 engine combined with an electric motor for a total output of 500 HP. This power figure will be enough to sprint the car from 0 to 60 mph in 5 seconds.

What we do know about the second LF-Lc Concept is purely speculation based so we’ll all have to wait until October to see what Lexus has in store. Our hopes lie with a sooner rather than later production model that is a successor for the company’s SC sports car.

Lexus and Gazoo Racing Celebrate the LFA’s Fifth Anniversary at Nurburgring With an Awesome Video

Building a racecar is a tall task, but building one that is to endure the stresses of running at full bore for 24 hours is a real test. Since 2008, Lexus and Gazoo racing have partnered up to bring the Lexus LFA to SP8 endurance class. Every year that the LFA took to the starting grid at the Nürburgring 24, there were issues. Be it a vehicle-disabling wreck, mechanical malfunction, or simply poor performance, the team never finished higher than 41st overall.

In 2012, the team showed up at the Nürburgring as humbled as they had ever been, calling themselves rookies, despite five years of running the race. The humbleness and hard word paid off for the team this year, as is took home the top spot in the SP8 class and 15th place overall. This was the first time since the Dodge Viper GTS won in 2001 and 2002 that a non-German automaker won the SP8 class.

In celebration of this notorious victory, and the five years of knuckle busting wrench turning and headache-inducing engineering that Lexus and Gazoo has endured, the two have released a video chronicling its journey to success. Sure, the video is very short – only 4:14 – but the detail covered in such a short period of time is simply incredible.

The team lets you into the action and if you don’t get into the video, you may want to check your pulse real quick. There is some awesome sound too, so make sure you have your speakers or headphones cranked up.

Enjoy!

Next-Gen Lexus IS-F may get a twin-turbo V6

With Lexus preparing to roll out the next generation IS, a lot of rumors have been circulating on the performance model of the car, the IS-F, particularly the kind of powertrain it’s expected to carry. The current IS-F is fitted with a 5.0-liter V8 engine that produces 416 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 371 lb/ft of torque at 5,200 rpm.

Given that the car is Lexus’ answer to models ilke the BMW M3 and the Mercedes C63, those numbers are pretty impressive, if we do say so ourselves. But Lexus, who has become adept in ratcheting up its performance line, appears to be looking in a different direction regarding the powertrain for the next-gen IS-F.

Though no confirmations have been made on the matter, Autoblog is reporting that the next-generation IS-F could follow BMW’s approach - and seemingly everyone else’s approach - with the new M3 wherein the current V8 engine will be left out in favor of a more advanced, forced-induction, twin-turbo V6 engine that could, at least in estimates, provide ample power to produce around 450 horsepower and 450 lb/ft of torque. Taking into consideration the current model’s performance capabilities, that should equate to an improvement of 34 horsepower and 79 lb/ft of torque.

Lexus didn’t give any confirmation on this matter, but the company did prop up the benefits of having a smaller displacement engine under the hood of the new IS-F. Take that for what it’s worth for now.