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Toyota unveils LF-A race cars for 24-hour Nurburgring race

 
3 4,743 views May 20, 2009
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2011 lexus lfa spy shots april 006

lexus lf a 24h nurbugring 001

lexus lf a 24h nurbugring 001

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Though over a year has elapsed since the Lexus LF-A was first spotted in testing, and it's been almost a year since it last ran the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, the crew at Lexus are prepping the perpetual prototype for yet another running of the ADAC Zurich 24h Race, and now they've released photos of the race car that'll be hitting the track.

Last time around the car used the day-long race track outing to give the LF-A's systems a real stress test, to iron out the bugs in the chassis and tuning and to further develop their own technical capabilities. This year the plan focuses on the same concerns, though there will be one major difference - Toyota’s incoming CEO, Akio Toyoda, will be getting some seat time in the Lexus supercar.

While you might expect Toyoda to be just another boring executive type, the incoming CEO is keen to see the carmaker offer more performance models and was one of the key people involved with development of the Lexus IS-F - even donning a racing suit and getting behind the wheel during high-speed testing. He’s also previously expressed a desire to bring back Toyota sports cars like the Celica and Supra, and his planned efforts at next month’s Nurburging 24-hour race only reaffirm this commitment.

For those who don’t know, Toyoda is the 52 year-old grandson of Toyota founder Kiichiro Toyoda, and he’s set to replace the carmaker’s current chief, Katsuaki Watanabe, this June.

As for the specially prepped LF-A race car, it will feature a 4.8L V10 rated at over 492hp (367kW), a carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) body shell, and will race in the Division 2 SP8 class for near-production engines. The layout of the car is a front-mid engine, rear-mid transaxle with rear radiator, with a paddle-shifted manual transmission. The 20in wheels are wrapped in 305/30 Bridgestone racing rubber.

The race kicks off on May 23, though practice will start May 21, so if you're in the neighborhood of the Nurburgring, get your tickets and take the chance to get a look at what might be the next Lexus supercar - if it ever makes it to production.
Lexus LF-A
Lexus LF-A livery for the 37th ADAC Zurich 24h Race

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Comments (3)

  1. ma_Mike avatar Mike Posted: 4/21/2009 7:30pm PDT

    How do they get this thing homologated, considering it isn't in production? Or is it classed as a prototype? Either way, if they ever make a road version, it will have a hard time competing with the likes of the GTR, and can't approach it's price range so what's the point?
     
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  2. ma_Damien Thomas avatar Damien Thomas Posted: 4/24/2009 6:42am PDT

    Mike, the LF-A is not purely about performance like the GT-R is.

    The LF-A is more of an overall package - luxury, comfort, styling, some performance, and a V10.

    It is designed to be the fastest around the 'Ring. That is not it's purpose.
     
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  3. By  mangan Posted: 1/9/2010 9:43pm PST

    LF-A is certainly getting closer to production. If Toyota manage to win a race this season in F1 and unveil the production LF-A in the celebratory event it would be nice.
     
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