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AUTOS: Lexus Supercar Unveiled At Tokyo Show
Production sports car boasts carbon-fiber construction and 552-horsepower V10; 500 cars planned.
SPEED Staff  |  Posted October 21, 2009   Toyko (JA)
The production Lexus LFA is a front-mid-engine performance car made of carbon fiber and powered by a 552-horsepower V10. (Photo: Lexus)
The Lexus LFA, a V-10-powered supercar first shown in concept form at the 2005 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, was unveiled today at the Tokyo Motor Show.

The production LFA, limited to just 500 cars, is constructed entirely from strong, lightweight carbon-fiber composite and powered by a 4.8 liter, naturally aspirated V10 engine that was jointly developed with Yamaha and produces 552 horsepower.

U.S. pricing is expected to be about $550,000.

According to Lexus, “the new LFA marks an important moment in both the history of Lexus and the development of the supercar. A true clean-sheet design, the LFA was created by a small, passionate and dedicated team of engineers whose achievement has been to push the boundaries of technologies materials and engineering at every stage to produce a car like no other to have carried the Lexus badge.”

Keeping the car's weight to an absolute minimum was one of the defining elements in the development of the LFA, Lexus said, and this led to the decision to switch from using aluminum for the car's construction to advanced carbon fiber reinforced plastic for the chassis and bodywork.

"The LFA is a thoroughbred supercar, a machine engineered to achieve a single goal - to deliver a supreme driving experience,” said chief engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi. “Over the past decade, we have pushed every boundary in pursuit of this goal and I believe we have created the most driver-orientated car we possibly could."

Lexus decided to build the CFRP structure in-house rather than by a third-party supplier, so the company drew on Toyota Motor Corporation's heritage in textile weaving technology to push the boundaries of its technical abilities, developing new carbon fiber looms and a laser system for monitoring the integrity of the material.

The result is a car that weighs just 3,250 pounds. To give the LFA a near perfect weight-balance, the radiators have been mounted in the very tail of the car.

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