Report: Production Lexus LF-A and Toyota-Subaru coupe to debut at Tokyo Motor Show

The supercar that almost wasnt, and still might not be - the Lexus LF-A, or LFA as it's known to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, recently underwent a special kind of exhibition in Milan during Fashion Week, and now it could be shown off in final form come October's Tokyo Motor Show. A report from an anonymous source emerged today also claiming that the Toyota-Subaru joint coupe known so far only as codename 086A, will also be joining the supercar at the deserted Japanese car show.

The source, dug up by Edmunds, revealed the details but backed them up only with the idea that Toyota would somehow benefit from the myopic coverage sure to result from a car show devoid of other major reveals. The source wasn't specific as to the Toyota-Subaru coupe's status as production or concept, but the LF-A is said to be production-ready, despite a long series of ups and downs for the car.

The Lexus LF-A has been spotted in real-world testing on the Nurburgring, so it's well past the 'pure concept' stage, but its production future still remains murky at best. The Japanese company's investment in the LF-A at the Milan Fashion Week, however, lends credence to the idea that it is in fact going to be built.
Toyota is known for nothing if not its corporate efficiency, and elaborate displays of cars that will never be built doesn't fit with the current austerity measures going on elsewhere within its structure.

That would make the dark photos of the LF-A ice sculpture potentially some of the best intel available as to the production car's final design, though gleaning details from them is near-impossible. With the car's projected price and performance, it's not unimaginable that the final production could very closely resemble the concept vehicle already widely exposed to the press anyway.

If the LF-A does go into production, it is expected to cost more than $200,000, sporting a 5.0L V10 engine rated at over 500hp (373kW). Limited production is also the name of the game, with only about 100 units expected unless demand proves high enough to support more.

As for the Toyota-Subaru joint coupe, its even-briefer existence has been plagued with more rumors of cancellation than most five-year projects, despite the capture of at least one prototype car in heavy camouflage during testing. What form a reveal of the 086A might take at the near-empty Tokyo Motor Show this October-November is anyone's guess, though the latest word in the car's on-again, off-again saga is that it is indeed on again, with a potential European debut by 2011, making a concept preview of the car the likeliest scenario for Tokyo.