2008 Lexus LF-A Roadster Concept

Toyota has long been criticized for abandoning the high performance sports car market when it ended production on the Supra in the mid 1990’s. The company has produced sport versions of its compact cars, such as the Celica and the MR2, as well as a sport roadster for Lexus, the SC430, but it has stayed away from high-horsepower, rear wheel drive performance cars. While Toyota’s reputation worldwide is for rock-solid cars that are reliable and efficient, they are also fairly dull. Someone in the head office finally decided to spice up the lineup a little bit, and the result is the 2008 Lexus LF-A Roadster Concept.

The LF-A Roadster is a big statement on the world sports car stage. Based on the LF-A Coupe, the Roadster burst onto the scene at the Detroit Auto Show in 2008. The LF-A Roadster is visually stunning, with hard lines intersecting at the front to suggest a combination of the previous generation Celica and the current Nissan 350Z. The body is made of light-weight carbon-fiber and aluminum in order to make up for the extra mass of the structural components added to preserve the convertible’s rigidity in the absence of a fixed roof. Even the torque tube is a structural component. Visually, the LF-A roadster is quite similar to the coupe, with the exception of a rear wing that changes position according to the speed of the vehicle.

At the heart of the drop top is a 5 liter V10 engine that makes over 500 horsepower. Since the concept has yet to advance to the production phase, Toyota is being vague about performance and power numbers. They have admitted, however, that the LF-A can reach over 200 miles per hour. The front-engine car has the motor located between the driver and the front axles in order to reduce the amount of weight hanging over the front wheels. The LF-A is paddle shifted, and while the transmission has been kept secret it is rumored to be a variant of the 8-speed currently used by Lexus in the IS-F.

The LF-A rides on gigantic 20 inch rims sporting 30 series tires, wide enough to guarantee traction in even the tightest of corners. Such large wheels are handy when it comes time to clear the 6-piston, 14 inch brakes outfitted to the front of the car, matched with 4-piston, 13 inch brakes in the rear. The F logo is prominently displayed on several exterior body panels, letting other people know that this is no ordinary Lexus – just in case the lack of a roof, huge wing and exotic styling didn’t tip them off already.

It is perhaps unsurprising that the LF-A shares both styling cues as well as actual components with other F cars in the Lexus line. Given the success of BMW’s M cars and the S lineup offered by Audi, it would seem that the most pressing question is why did Toyota wait so long to get Lexus involved in the high-end luxury sport game? Not only did Lexus lack sport models of its bread and butter luxury sedans, but even as BMW rolled out the 650i and Audi responded back with the Lamborghini-baiting R8 super car, Toyota sat on their hands and watched from the sidelines. This market complacency is perhaps a characteristic of the Japanese luxury brands – neither Acura nor Infiniti currently offer extreme performance models of their vehicles. Hopefully the LF-A Roadster concept will make the move into dealer showrooms largely unchanged. Toyota is testing the vehicle on the Nurburgring in order to get last minute data regarding performance at the outer edge of the envelope. Interestingly, Toyota has chosen to enter a 24 race on that track as part of their test effort, showing that even when it comes to super cars, Toyota is serious about reliability.

PERFORMANCE FEATURES

• 500-plus horsepower
• Top Speed: More then 200 miles per hour
• V10 engine (less than 5 liters)
• Speed adaptive rear wing
• Carbon-fiber and aluminum body
• Wrap-around arrowhead-shaped taillights
• Front mid-engine placement
• Air scoop inlets
• Underbody air diffusers
• Twin radiators positioned at each rear corner
• Center mounted triple exhaust pipes
• 20-inch wheels with 265/35R20 front tires and 305/30R20 rear tires
• Cross-drilled brake rotors
• Rear view camera (instead of a mirror) on each door
• Steering wheel mounted paddle-shift gears
• Carbon fiber/leather-trimmed steering wheel
• Form fitting racing seats

DIMENSIONS

• Length: 175.6 inches
• Width: 74.6 inches
• Height: 48.0 inches
• Wheelbase: 102.6 inches








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May 10, 2008, 12:02 pm