The Lexus LFA is back, albeit as a concept for now. Making its debut alongside Toyota’s new GR GT and GR GT3 is the LFA Concept, which we’ve already been introduced to during The Quail, A Motorsport Gathering event back in August this year. At the time, the car was revealed as the Sport Concept but today’s reveal is not the production version that we expected.
The original LFA featured a 1LR-GUE 4.8 litre naturally-aspirated V10 petrol engine that was co-developed with Yamaha and made a howl that many enthusiasts are familiar with. Its successor of the same name won’t come with a V10 or any form of internal combustion at all because it will be a pure electric vehicle (EV).
Lexus isn’t providing much in the way of technical details for now, but it promises a high level of driving performance. “Not bound to vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, ‘LFA’ is a model name that symbolises a vehicle model that embodies the technologies that engineers of its time should preserve and pass on to the next generation,” the company wrote in its release.
The LFA Concept was developed alongside the GR GT and GR GT3 and shares a rigid aluminium structure as well as wheelbase of 2,725 mm. These cars also have a similar silhouette with a long bonnet and short rear deck, but the concept occupies a smaller footprint by being 4,690 mm long (-130 mm), 2,040 mm wide (+40 mm) and 1,195 mm tall (identical).
A rigid base and low centre of gravity are two of three elements that make up Toyota’s ‘Shinkinen Sengu’ development approach for the trio, with the third being pursuing aerodynamic performance. Lexus says the design of the concept perfectly fuses effective airflow and sculptural beauty, with the latter featuring cues seen on the V10-powered LFA like the vented bonnet, and buttress ducts.
The interior was also a major focal point for the company, with an emphasis on creating an immersive cockpit with an ideal driving position “that enhances a sense of car-driver unity and ease of handling.” The production version will likely vary from what we see in the concept, but the ethos is for the driver to be centre of attention.
The yoke-style steering wheel is set up in a way that negates the need to use hand-over-hand motions (regripping as the company puts it), while the large display ahead is flanked by switchgear that is intuitive to operate.
This extends to the rotary gear selector to the right of the column, while paddle-like buttons are for ‘F-Mode’ and ‘Custom’ enable quick cycling of presumably drive modes. The ability to set boost and braking maps also indicate a decent amount of configurability for the powertrain.
Given this is still a concept, we don’t expect a production version to roll off the line anytime soon, as the GR GT will likely be prioritised for deliveries. Perhaps we will get to see the reborn LFA in its finished form next year. Looking forward to it?
GALLERY: Lexus Sport Concept at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show
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