Global demand for the LFA has been strong since its global debut 3 months ago at the Tokyo Motor Show, and the level of demand is in excess of the announced 500 unit production.
However, prospective customers who have not yet registered their interest should not be deterred.
As previously communicated, Lexus is not automatically confirming each expression of interest received.
The deadline for receiving initial expressions of interest is set at mid-March to coincide with the end of the Geneva Motor Show; after which the process of allocating the 500 units across the 56 countries where LFA is being offered will begin.
Final allocation will be fixed in April and individual orders will be confirmed with customers by the end of May.
About LFA The LFA is a car of firsts. It is the first supercar developed by Lexus to meet and exceed the company’s exacting standards, and it is the first supercar that is as dynamic and engaging around the Nu?rburgring Nordschleife as it is tackling a favourite mountain pass. Featuring advanced carbon fibre technology, a high-revving 412kW/560DIN hp 4.8-litre naturally aspirated V10 engine and rear-mounted six-speed sequential transmission, the mid-front engined LFA combines lightweight construction and ideal chassis balance to deliver exhilarating and usable 325km/h performance.
“The LFA is a thoroughbred supercar, a lightweight, powerful and balanced machine engineered to achieve one single goal – to deliver a supreme driving experience,” explains Haruhiko Tanahashi, chief engineer of the LFA’s development programme. “Over the past decade we have pushed every boundary – including the development of our own cutting edge carbon fibre monocoque chassis and bodywork – in the pursuit of this goal. I believe,” says Tanahashi-san “that we have created the most driver-oriented car we possibly could.”
Painstakingly developed from a blank canvas by a small and dedicated team of hand-picked engineers that pushed every possible dynamic boundary, the LFA is a halo model for the F performance marque. The Lexus F brand complements the core Lexus DNA by emphasizing serious performance and de-emphasizing Lexus’ traditional attributes of NVH and comfort. The LFA therefore not only redefines the Japanese supercar for the 21st Century but also reinforces a new framework for Lexus and its advanced approach to automotive development. “Ever since the LFA project was started in 2000, my team and I have been driven by a passion to create a world-class supercar, a car to make Lexus proud,” says Tanahashi-san. “For Lexus – a brand that aims to provide customers with enlightened moments and memorable experiences – the development of a world-class supercar with real visual drama was an indispensable next step.”
In 2000, Tanahashi-san and his close-knit team embarked on one of the greatest engineering challenges Lexus had ever faced. The project would focus their minds on new technologies, new materials and new processes as they strove to create the car they envisaged, irrespective of the difficulties they encountered in the process. In doing so they would create a dynamic new approach point for Lexus, which would recalibrate the company’s approach to the design of all its models. Weight-saving measures were taken at each and every step of the LFA’s development. They include innovative Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CRFP) monocoque chassis and bodywork – a world first for Lexus – as well as carbon ceramic material brake discs, and extensive use of aluminium, titanium and magnesium in the powertrain and transmission assemblies. Even the steering wheel employs carbon fibre elements to make it lighter and more natural in its responses – a typically drivercentric detail of the LFA. With a low 1480kg kerb weight, the LFA steps confidently into the supercar arena with an effective power to weight ratio of 378DIN hp/278 kW per tonne. “The LFA is a car with relentless power delivery and an accompanying exhaust note to give you goose bumps,” enthuses Tanahashi-san. “It successfully brings together motive performance, measured by times and graphs, and emotive power – that inexpressible performance that can only be felt in one’s heart and soul. While conventional cars focus on the destination, the LFA is all about the journey.”
Only 500 LFA vehicles are planned for production, all hand-assembled by skilled technicians at a rate of no more than 20 per month. “Although these inspirational, dreamlike moments will unfortunately only be experienced by a lucky few,” says Tanahashi-san, “I firmly believe the spirit of the LFA will be the pride of any Lexus admirer.”
