Rumors surfaced late last month that Toyota Motorsport in Germany was developing a Le Mans GT race car based on the Lexus LFA. Now photos have surfaced of what is believed to be the upcoming Lexus LFA GTE racer that will be a future competitor in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. There are of course no concrete details behind the LFA GTE and what it will be packing in order to compete with the likes of Ferrari and Porsche.

The LFA has had some success on the track, taking a class win in a class for most stock vehicles at the 2010 Nurburgring 24 Hours. It really remains to be seen if the LFA will be a potent platform for race teams worldwide, but a successful entry into the 24 Hours of Le Mans will go a long way.

GALLERY: 2012 Lexus LFA GTE

[Source: MotorsportsRants via Jon Sibal]

The Lexus LFA may sport one of the highest price tags in the exotic car market, but until now it’s been missing an all-important Nurburgring lap time.

Lexus has never released an official time for the car, but leading up to this past weekend’s 24 Hours of Nurburgring, the Toyota luxury arm took a Nurburgring Edition LFA for an exhibition hot lap. Even though it wasn’t classified as a full-on attempt, Gazoo Racing driver Akira Iida put in an impressive 7:22.85 in the LFA, putting it in 10th place overall on the fastest production vehicle list.

With that time being three seconds off the Corvette ZR1, which costs just a third of the price, even Lexus fanboys aren’t thumping their chests. That may soon change, however, with reports that there are plans for an official run in the future.

Was Iida going balls-to-the-wall, or was he sand bagging? Time will tell.

[Source: LexusEnthusiast]

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Lexus has just released a new advertisement highlighting the LFA supercar as well as the company’s technological innovations. This new ad focuses on new technologies critics thought Lexus was not capable of designing and the Japanese automakers commitment to sustainability. “It is not about simply making incremental strides and improvements, but about taking giant leaps in innovation,” said Dave Nordstrom, Lexus vice president for marketing.

This new ad entitled “A New Era of Lexus Innovation” highlights the development process for the Lexus LFA’s V-10 and carbon-fiber components. The LFA’s high revving engine screams through the entire ad, while being put through hairpin turns on the track all the while the sophisticated components inside the car are explained. The soundtrack and narration add to the experience and overall the commercial is worth checking out. The sound of the 4.8-liter V-10 sounds absolutely flawless.

Check out the video after the jump!

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Those that have been fortunate enough to witness the Lexus LFA’s brilliance first hand know just how potent and magnificent of a machine it is. Even though some will debate whether or not it’s worth the price tag, we’re pretty confident owners are more than satisfied with their purchase.

Be that as it may, Lexus is reportedly already working on a new version of the car, code named LFA II. While a successor is possible, the car is rumored to actually be a higher performance version of the wild Japanese exotic.

No details are available, but you can be sure that if Lexus is planning an even more capable LFA, it’s sure to come with an even steeper price tag.

GALLERY: Lexus LFA Nurburgring Edition

[Source: Best Car via Autoblog]

NASCAR racer Kyle Busch is used to going stupid fast. Normally it’s behind the wheel of his M&Ms sponsored No. 18 Toyota race car, but in what Busch describes as a “lack of judgement” the pro driver was recently clocked test driving a yellow Lexus LFA at a speed that is plenty fast, and even more stupid.

In a statement released today, Busch apologized after being busted driving 128-mph in a 45 mph zone near his house in Mooresville, N.C. The vehicle he was piloting is none other than the LFA supercar, one of just 500 to be built by Toyota’s Lexus luxury division, with a 552-hp V10 engine and a $375,00 price tag.

“I apologize to the public, my fans, sponsors, and race teams for my lack of judgment,” said Busch in a statement. “I take responsibility for my actions and I can assure you that something like this will never happen again. I thank the Iredell County Sheriff’s Department and all law enforcement for the hard work they do every day to protect the public and to enforce the laws in a fair and equitable manner.”

Busch is currently ranked third in the Sprint Cup standings and the incident is not expected to affect his status as a NASCAR driver. It could, however, have a less than positive impact on his sponsorship agreement.

[Source: USAToday]

To help ensure the company’s new supercar doesn’t show up as tomorrow’s news after being wrapped around a pole, Lexus has created the Lexus LFA Driver Development school to get educated on how to control their amazing new machine.

In this video that spotlights the Lexus LFA Driver Development School, several LFAs are seen trekking along at Infineon Raceway at Sonoma, California. Scott Pruett, Lexus’ official LFA promotion driver, can be seen speaking about the LFA. But what really caught our attention is Tony Brakohiapa, a Formula Drift driver and instructor at Infineon Raceway, who takes the LFA drifting. Even though we’ve been fortunate enough to get behind the wheel of the LFA and take it well past 160-mph, the thought of going sideways never really occurred to us. Then again, we’re not paid to destroy tires for a living.

Check out the video after the break.

[Source: Wrecked Magazine]

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On display for the very first time, Lexus chose the Geneva Auto Show carefully as the location to showcase the LFA Nurburgring edition, not shying away from a venue known for its exotic cars.

Coinciding with the reveal, Lexus has announced complete details on the Nurburgring Edition kit, with a large front splitter, cannards and a massive rear spoiler.

Output from the 4.8-liter V10 engine has been upped just 10-hp to 570-hp total, helping the carbon monocoque machine hit 62-mph in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 202-mph (slightly lower than the standard model due to the massive downforce generated by the rear spoiler).

Additional upgrades include quicker shift times, a returned suspension, a lowered suspension (10mm) and special wheels and tires.

The Nurburgring edition will be available in Matte Black, Black, White or Orange, and the interior can be had in Black and Red, Black and Pur­ple or all Black. Plus, all Nurburgring editions get added carbon  fiber interior bits, plus carbon racing seats.

GALLERY: Lexus LFA

When you’ve got a car that will do 0-60 mph in well under four seconds and top more than 200 mph, it’s probably a good idea to learn how to drive it, or at least explore some of its capabilities without coming a cropper.

Lexus agrees, which is why the brand is going to offer what it calls a ‘driver development’ program for customers who take delivery of the LFA supercar . The program, which is a one-day affair, is scheduled to take place at Infineon Raceway (formerly Sears Point) in Sonoma, California from March 8-15.

Included are racing theory sessions, technical demonstrations, as well as performance limit exercises and plenty of track time, with coaching by professional motorsports drivers and instructors.

“This program offers a unique opportunity to experience the 552 horsepower Lexus LFA supercar in its natural environment,” declared group vice president and Lexus General Manager Mark Templin.

“Once you’ve driven the LFA on a race track, you can really appreciate this engineering accomplishment” he said.  “Track time with the LFA will change all preconceived ideas of what a supercar should be.”  No doubt it will.

[Source: Lexus]

Undeniably those that are able to afford the limited quantity Lexus LFA, probably have some expendable income to customize their Japanese supercar. Lexus North America has been making a strong push in marketing the LFA to the affluent and now they have a boost thanks to CEC, with their announcement of three different tuning packages available to LFA Nurburgring edition owners.

CEC has high hopes for their LFA tuning packages, hoping to build “the most expensive and rarest of all the LFA supercars that Lexus will manufacturer and sell worldwide,” according to Sherif Yassa, Vice President of CEC.

The focus of the tuning packages will mainly be on the aesthetic, which is a safe bet given how finely tuned the LFA’s powerplant is. Lexus has reported to us that the Nurburgring edition LFA will have 10-hp more than the standard LFA thanks to further development by Lexus’ engineers.

There are no images of the package available yet, but to get a better look at CEC’s light weight forged wheels on the LFA, hit the link below.

[Source: Autoblog]

Toyota recently celebrated its 10th anniversary of the Toyota Motorsports Festival, and what better way to show off what Toyota Motorsports is all about than to assemble a team of flagship Lexus LFA supercars in various colors and taking them all out to the track at Fuji Speedway?

That’s exactly what Toyota did, and we’re fortunate enough to spy a video of the action. We’re pretty jealous.

One more noteworthy appearance in the video is Lexus’ IS-F Race Car Concept acting as the safety vehicle on the track.

Video available after the jump:

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