Forum 4Tuning - Lexus LF-A

Quote:

When the concept bowed at Detroit this January, the LF-A caused a sensation as Lexus threw down the gauntlet to the auto world with a rear-drive, 200-mph supercoupe.

The question remained as to what engine would power the new beast as Lexus kept everyone guessing, not even revealing where the engine is located. What the brand did say was the LF-A delivered \"more than 500 bhp (braking horsepower)\" from an engine with fewer than 5.0 liters, and that with optimal gearing, the car could hit 200-mph-plus.

However, in its 2005 Tokyo show press material, Lexus confirms, \"The LF-A engine bay is fitted with a newly developed high-output, V10 engine that takes driving into a different dimension.\" The LF-A is also, as many have suspected all along, front-engine and rear-drive.

On one level, the V10 announcement is a surprise, considering that Formula One regulations are due to shift to V8 for the 2006 season, and the LF-A was supposed to represent Toyota's F1 philosophy for the road.

With arch rival Honda announcing a V10 NSX successor for 2008-2009 and Nissan launching a new GT-R in 2007, a new Japanese supercar race is unfolding. So maybe the LF-A V10 announcement is no surprise at all.

What this means to you: Lexus is hardly synonymous with 200-mph, V10 supercars, but the LF-A opens up a whole new world.