Could a New Lexus LFA Supercar Be Imminent?

The LFA supercar is an impressive iconic performance machine priced well into the upper echelons of $350,000. But only a few Lexus LFA enthusiasts will ever be lucky enough to experience the result of years of innovation, precision, and passion that goes into creating a true automotive masterpiece. The LFA supercar was initially conceived by the car’s chief engineer, Haruhiko Tanahashi, as the wind tunnel for marketing cars of the future. Before that, it was Tanahashi’s vision for the ultimate sports car. From conception to prototype, the LFA was a year long project that was first built with aluminum alloy; it was less expensive, light weight, and corrosion resistant. In order to be considered a true performance vehicle, those of us here at Lexus of Highland Park knew that the LFA had to be able to compete with heavy-hitting exotic roadsters like the Bugatti Veyron and the Hennessey Venom GT – and it had to be able to seriously compete at the Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany. It had to be light. Really light. The only way that the LFA’s engineers could construct a car with high rigidity and super low weight – while being fast enough to vie with the world’s best – was to invest more than a billion dollars (the actual numbers are much greater) in developing a car produced with 65 percent CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced polymer). CFRP is one of the most expensive materials used in vehicle production because of the time it takes to make just one part. A single carbon fiber part takes about 24 hours to build from scratch at LFA Works. The body of just one LFA supercar takes close to four days to complete. The entire production process is performed by 170 people in a little over a week. The LFA or internal project code 680, manifested over a period of about 10 years. Once the LFA is built in its entirety, it’s put to the test at the Japanese automaker’s Motomachi test track, where it is driven back and forth along the eastern fence line about 50 times. When all of the testing is done, 500 LFA vehicles are distributed to their rightful owners and production of the high performance sports car comes to an end. The rumor is that another LFA-like super vehicle could be on the horizon, according to Toyota Motor Corp, vice president, Mark Templin. But we would also be remiss if we didn’t tell LFA enthusiasts not to hold their breath. It could easily be another 30 years before the next generation Lexus supercar sees the light of day. “At some point, there may be another special car for another generation,” said Templin. We here at Lexus of Highland Park are excited for the possibility of a new LFA, but we are equally excited about the Lexus vehicles we currently have! Stop over and check out our new and used Lexus vehicles here at our Highland Park dealership.