After a decade of launch, the super model LFA remains Lexus’ symbol of speed, as well as the overall automotive industry in Japan.

Journey of a Lexus Legend

The Japanese luxury automaker launched the LFA development program in the early 2000s, cherishing the mission of creating an iconic supercar.

In 2005, the first prototype of the LFA was introduced at the Detroit Auto Show (USA). Two years later, a concept version of the LFA was introduced. In 2008, Lexus brought in an additional convertible version, and in August 2009, Mr. Akio Toyota – President of Toyota Corporation – officially announced the commercial version of Lexus LFA. Lexus’ supercar model has the most expensive selling price in the Japanese auto industry, limited to 500 units.

The difference in Lexus LFA

The LFA development project offers products that are one of a kind at Lexus. Each vehicle is assembled manually by its own team of engineers in Japan. Each engine is signed by the engineer who assembled the car, with the factory numbering.

The body of the LFA was made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) – one of the most expensive materials used in cars at the time, specialized in the production of racing cars. The fact that 65% of parts was made of this material reduces the weight of the car by over 100 kg, compared to the aluminum alloy on the previous concept.

The “heart” of the Lexus LFA lies in a 4.8-liter V10 engine with a capacity of 560 horsepower, a maximum speed of 326 km/h. The car takes 3.7 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h. At the time, this engine was born with the support of Yamaha, was pushed to the limit of 9,400 rpm.

The company’s engineers also tried to create the sound of the exhaust like the F1s at high rpm while keeping the car stable, mitigating vibration in this state.

“It is precisely this that is a special hallmark of the Lexus LFA when in such machine, one sees the fusion of exhilarating driving experience and racing sound. In other words, this is a combination of the perfect symbol of power, precision, and inspiration behind the wheel,” said the company’s representative in Vietnam. The LFA was named one of the 10 greatest supercars of the past decade by Hotcars magazine.

Uniqueness also creates masterpieces. With the story of the legendary LFA, the personalization factor is also focused in the commercial production of these cars. Only 500 units of the Lexus LFA were produced worldwide, each custom-built to suit the owner’s preferences.

Lexus opens up many personalization limits for users, changing colors, interiors, seats, leather upholstery… Therefore, almost no two LFAs are exactly alike.

Inheritors of the LFA?

Lexus LFA’s 10-year journey is about to arrive. Two years of commercial production marked an experimental product that became a masterpiece in Japanese automotive history.

In 2019, in an interview with Autocar, when asked if the company was producing more sports cars like the LFA, Toyota vice president at the time Koji Sato said: “We would love to. It will happen, but we need your help. We need stronger moves for the new LFA from the media, then readers and consumers. It will help us make decisions.”

Met with Koji Sato’s somewhat open answer, fans believed that it was likely that Lexus would not launch a new version of the LFA in the future. This is reasonable, when many car enthusiasts have recorded a number of test images of the LFA-like design with a more enlarged front bumper at the Nurburgring circuit in 2019.

Perhaps, after a decade of rest, this is also the right time for Lexus to launch another super car model of its own, inheriting and developing the power, as well as the values ​​of the existing masterpiece, carrying on the pride of the Japanese car industry.

Source: vnexpress.net