Life is full of hard questions, such as: Do I date 1996 Jennifer Aniston or do I buy a Lexus LF-A? Luckily I don’t have to answer that question. It’s 2009 and even if I had the money to buy a Lexus LF-A (which I never, ever, ever, ever will) my luck isn’t good enough to be one of the 500 people who gets in quick enough to grab one.
Lexus announced the car at the Tokyo Motor Show yesterday and has confirmed it is only building 500 of them worldwide. It’s expected, but not confirmed, that Australia will only get five of these. One of which will probably go Lexus or Toyota Australia as well so that would be four that MIGHT hit our shores.
That’s probably a good thing too because Australian roads don’t justify the use of a car like this. This is a car that deserves a track. No, this is a car that demands a track. Yes, it is that awesome.
A 4.8-litre V10 engine that generates 560PS horsepower powers the LF-A. It boasts 412kW/8700rpm maximum output with maximum torque of 480N-m (48.9kgf-m)/6800rpm. It has a wheelbase of 2605mm with front engine and rear-wheel drive configuration. The supercar weighs an impressively small 1480kg.
If you have the guts to use second gear you’ll be doing it on a six-speed automated sequential gearbox. Second gear might not be such a great idea for Australian roads though, with a maximum speed of 325km/h and acceleration to 100km/h in just 3.7 seconds we would suggest you get very comfortable with first gear before you try to be a hero.
The Lexus LF-A will be walking out the door with an approximate RRP of just US$375,000 (not including GST, luxury car tax etc etc) and pre-sales have already started. The sales period is expected to be between December 2010 and December 2012. Be warned, this is a strictly limited model so if you find some money behind the sofa, put a deposit down now!
Toyota also launched its first sports car since the dawn of time (almost) just before the LF-A. Check it out here.
Damian Francis is the editor-at-large for Australian T3 and contributing technology editor for GQ Australia. He is in Japan as a guest of Toyota Australia.
Peter
October 22, 2009 at 10:56 AM
What are the odds of winning the lotto in the next few days? I wonder if any of the recent convicts Of course Jay Leno already called and place an order. Hopefully Jay Leno hates the car and I can convince him to hand me over the keys. Perhaps, Ponzi scheme, insider trading, or grow some weed for medicinal use.
Report PermalinkEd
October 22, 2009 at 11:03 AM
The Supra is back baby… yeah..
Report PermalinkDarkWolfhound
October 24, 2009 at 7:46 PM
Supra’s never had a V10. And never looked as impressive on Paper or in Real Life as this thing does. I do see SOME supra styling in it, but I agree with @Your Mate Alex@, chalk and cheese.
Report PermalinkGorgeous sound, and very good looking car none-the-less.
Alex
October 22, 2009 at 11:20 AM
Wow! This thing sounds like an F1! I’m just glad it’s finally here. I remember seeing this car at a show many many years ago when it was a concept. Good job Lexus. Now let’s see how it stacks up with the rest of the supercars.
Report PermalinkDamian Francis
October 22, 2009 at 6:35 PM
Lexus was also showing off the Super GT racecar version of the LFA as well. Must have been pulled straight off the track. There was still mud and gaffer tape on it from an accident. Looked awesome though. It was actually at the Yamaha stand because Yamaha helped tune it.
Report PermalinkYour Mate Alex
October 22, 2009 at 12:40 PM
@Ed – about as much a Supra as a 911 is a Beetle.
Report PermalinkMivilicious
October 22, 2009 at 1:36 PM
yyuuummmmmmmmm!!!!!!
Report PermalinkNic Van Den Berg
October 22, 2009 at 3:59 PM
Ill take two….are there payment plans?
Report PermalinkDamian Francis
October 22, 2009 at 6:33 PM
Yes, there are Nic. They include stealing one or having Packer as your last name. But if you do get one, let me know!
Report PermalinkDaniel
November 20, 2009 at 6:40 PM
The jaws may be dropping but that is due almost entirely to the price. It’ll be a great car I’m sure, I also think it looks really nice and suitably aggressive. However even as a Toyota lover (albeit less so in the past 5/6 years due to the total absence of company soul) I find this car hard to swallow simply because of that mega-price. Then again, I’m not the target market – but I’m not so sure who is outside of Japan?
Report Permalink