I’ve been dreaming of a successor to the Lexus LFA for over a decade. I’ve always loved the V10-powered Toyota supercar, even when the company struggled to sell all 500 examples when it was new. Now, next year, my wish for a new Lexus supercar is finally coming true.
Though it won’t have a high-revving V10, Lexus’s upcoming two-door track machine, which the internet is calling the LFR, still looks like it’ll be a good time. The company hasn’t released any specs, aside from the drivetrain layout. The car will use a twin-turbo V8, and send power to the wheels via a rear-mounted dual-clutch transaxle. According to a video from the Nürburgring, it could also come in two flavors: Wing, or no wing.
The footage, published by the Statesidesupercars YouTube channel earlier this week, shows the Lexus amongst a handful of prototypes testing at the fabled German race track during the facility’s “Industry Pool” hours, where manufacturers have exclusive access to push their test mules to the limit in a closed environment.
As Motor1 points out, the yellow triangle on the back—a necessary identifier for cars participating in the Industry Pool—indicates the car will be a hybrid, something that’s been rumored, but not confirmed by Lexus. In this case, the company didn’t bring just one of its supercar prototypes; it brought two. One with a huge wing out back, and another with no wing at all:
This can mean a few things. The likeliest scenario is Lexus is testing two versions of the car because it intends to sell two versions. The one with no wing would probably be oriented towards owners who want to use the car for the road, with the occasional visit to the race track. The car with the wing, then, is for the true track rats, who intend to use the car primarily for setting lap times. Think Porsche 911 GT3 versus GT3 RS.
It’s not just the wing that’s different. Check out the splitter hanging off the bottom of the bumper in these screenshots; it’s way bigger on the car with the wing:
If this car is offered in two distinct trims, it’s possible they could also have different power levels, different brakes, different tires, a retuned suspension, and more. Of course, that’s all speculation at this point. It’s equally possible Lexus could offer this aero kit as a package, rather than as a standalone trim. Nothing’s confirmed until it’s confirmed. But it’s fun to speculate, right?
This begs the question: Would you take your Lexus supercar with or without a wing out back? Personally, I’m going no wing. Whether it looks like that concept shown at The Quail last month or not, I have a feeling this thing is going to look amazing. Having the wing would break up its flowing body lines. So long as it still handles well and makes V8 noises, I’m fine with losing a bit of downforce in exchange for a pure design.
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