Toyota LF-A Supercar to debut as pacecar for 2007 Japanese Grand Prix
It's been awhile since we touched on Toyota's plans for its upcoming LF-A supercar, the concept of which debuted at the 2005 Detroit Auto Show. Auto Express is reporting the production version will debut as the pace car at next year's Japanese Grand Prix, which is taking place at the Toyota-owned Fuji Speedway for the first time in 30 years. The F1 race takes place at the same time as the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, so we should expect the official debut there. Buyers will still have to wait until early 2009 to buy an LF-A, as Toyota is still working hard to nail down the hardware. Auto Express is reporting sheetmetal has been ditched in favor of an all-carbon fiber body and the powerplant will be a 500-hp 5.0L V10 derived directly from F1 racing. With a weight just north of 2,500 lbs its performance should be world class, as will the price that's expected to be around $150,000.
Thanks for the tip, Ahmet!
[Source: Auto Express, picture credit – Auto Bild]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
bill 12:54PM (5/06/2006)
it looks beautiful.
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JBains 1:15PM (5/06/2006)
Lexus, Acura, Infiniti, and Mitsubishi are all coming out with their own supercars. And no, none of these offerings would be "riced-up" econoboxes. Trust me on this. Let the games begin.
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james 1:41PM (5/06/2006)
Can't wait to see this go against the "Blue Devil" Corvette which should also have work done to lower its weight.
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AMcA 1:42PM (5/06/2006)
2500 lbs? No way.
The carbon fiber Ferrari Enzo: 3009 lbs.
The carbon fiber Mercedes SLR: 3889 lbs.
Grant you, these are 600 hp cars . . . but the exta 100 hp can't cost 500+ lbs minimum.
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james 1:57PM (5/06/2006)
The Enzo is a very wide car built for excellent handling. The LF-A from the picture looks pretty narrow in comparison and also has a v10 vs the larger displacement v12s in the other cars.
That being said, if they dropped the LS7 in the LF-A I'm sure they could get the weight closer to 2400 lbs and shorten that 0-60 time.
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starlightmica 2:12PM (5/06/2006)
Cheapest mass-produced carbon fiber car ever! not that it's affordable, however...
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Bob-o 2:14PM (5/06/2006)
#4, There's already a buncha supercars in that weight realm. McLaren F1, Koenigsegg CCR/CC8S, Ferrari F40, etc.
The SLR is an overweight touring car, and was never meant to be a balls-to-the-wall performance machine as these are.
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gbh 2:35PM (5/06/2006)
2500 LBS? No way? Dude, you need to get out more.
With the tech and CAD/CAM that Toyota will throw at this thing, it's hardly a stretch.
Pagani Zonda 2700 LBS
Koenigsegg CCR 2600 LBS
Just depends on features,passenger and storage specs, crash test goals, NVH desires, etc.
2500 LB and 800 HP is do-able in your freakin' garage if you have some mechanical aptitude, time, and maybe $35K. Remember that not only has it all been done before, its been done since the late 60's. It's just easier, cheaper, and better.
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Ted K 4:38PM (5/06/2006)
A toyota at 2500lbs?
Get real man. Or was that a typo? 3500 sounds more like it.
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Bob-o 5:12PM (5/06/2006)
Its a supercar, not a mass market car. No one cares what you think is the norm.
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Bob-o 5:13PM (5/06/2006)
Oh btw, the MR2 Spyder...guess how much?
2195 lbs.
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Thunder 5:50PM (5/06/2006)
I hope that other manufacturers are paying attention to the fact that their vehicle weights are getting way too flabby. At 3,495 lbs (that's as much as a 90's Camaro) the new Porsche Turbo is 1,000+ lbs. overweight in my opinion, especially for $120-130,000.
Bring on the carbon fiber and aluminum.
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Richard Warren 7:54PM (5/06/2006)
Celica reheat, return to sleeping.
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DarkKnight67 10:21PM (5/06/2006)
Wonder if they'll get the same quality experience as current Avalon buyers?
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spdracerut 12:35AM (5/07/2006)
I'll believe the 2500+ when it makes it to production. BUT, I will say that it looks like a relatively small car. The Enzo is actually quite large.
Hey, if those are Japanese drivers in the picture, than it is REALLY small ;)
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Essence Awarder 9:32AM (5/07/2006)
It's the size of a Porsche, that's not so small to me and it'll be f8cing fast.
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Ted K 10:28AM (5/07/2006)
"Oh btw, the MR2 Spyder...guess how much?
2195 lbs."
We're comparing cars, not lawn mowers. Seriously, in the context of supercar comparisons, who brings up a rinky dink little car that can't even keep up with a Miara?
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Proud Japanese 12:45PM (5/07/2006)
Ted K, please stop being so arrogant and read your first ignorant statement.
"A toyota at 2500lbs?
Get real man. Or was that a typo? 3500 sounds more like it."
You never did mention a supercar. You only mentioned a toyota.
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Ted K 1:29PM (5/07/2006)
Oh, gee, silly arrogant me - with "Supercar" in the title bar of your web browser as well as the top of the article I figured we all knew we were talking about supercars here.
My mistake: to clear things up, "Proud Japanese", this conversation is centered around supercars. Hope this helps. Have a nice day.
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naggs 4:28PM (5/07/2006)
if they can keep those numbers then this car is going to be something special. it wont run with the big boys above 200 mph but it should be a 500 hp go kart.
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