Lexus LF-A Concept

The Nürburgring 24hour race is happening this weekend, which the Lexus LF-A is pretend-competing in, using the race environment to see how the supercar holds up over an intensive run.

Well, as it turns out, it's probably best Lexus didn't throw its hat fully into the ring, because one hour after the race started, the LF-A pulled into the pits with a transmission problem. This was eventually resolved, and the racing prototype is back on the track, though it's no longer truly in the race.

Most importantly, Automobile Magazine managed to snap a photo of the LF-A's engine while it was in the pits (click the image for a larger version):

(More updates as they become available, and if you'd like to follow along, the race can be watched live right on the official site.)

[Source: Automobile Magazine]

The just-revealed IS 250 race car wasn't the only Lexus to be part of the festivities this weekend, as the LF-A racing prototype also made its debut in the ADAC Rundstrecken Trophy Endurance series. Edmunds reports:

The race was run on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, combined with a sprint portion of the famous Grand Prix circuit.

During the four-hour race, the LF-A covered 23 15.13-mile laps, grabbing 77th place. Its fastest lap was 9:06. While that lap time may sound slow compared to the Nissan GT-R's best 'Ring time of 7:29, the GT-R was clocked on just the 12.9-mile Nordschleife without the additional sprint section. The LF-A drove in group SP8.

Saturday's race was one of seven four-hour races this year, with a six-hour race and a 24-hour race rounding out the series. The LF-A is expected to continue competitive runs in this series, including the 24-hour race at the end of this month, as part of the LF-A's development process.

Lucky for us, someone posted up a lengthy video clip showing the LF-A in action, though most of the footage is dedicated to the slowest pit-stop ever:

I wonder what the deal is with that askew decal on the hood, did someone just not want to take the time to do it right?

It's a simple equation: The more time the Lexus LF-A racing prototype spends on Nürburgring racetrack, the more video footage pops up. The proof: The folks over at Motor Authority have a lengthy video of the supercar making its rounds around the 'ring (click on this image to visit the video):

My favorite part of the video has to be when it meets an Audi R8 on a side street on its way back to the Toyota building. Beep beep, move over!

(Thanks Jarrett!)

It's not the Lexus LF-A racing prototype, but this extended spy video of the LF-A is still something to watch:

It's been rumored that one of the major reasons for the supercar's production delay was the engineer's desire to push the top speed higher. Well, when comparing this video, which was filmed last year, with spy footage of the Lexus LF-A racing prototype, you can practically hear the improvement.

Of course, there's innumerable differences between the videos (distance from the car, speed, etc.), but even in terms of apparent speed, the new prototype seems much improved.

To mark the European debut of the Lexus LF-A Roadster Concept at the Frankfurt Auto Show, Lexus put together a truly spectacular video, albeit with no actual in-motion footage. Click the photo below to be taken to the mini-site:

I imagine this would have been used as a video introduction to the vehicle's unveiling at Frankfurt, and it's hard not to get excited about this concept all over again. I can't wait for the production announcement.

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Also included in this small LF-A Roadster mini-site is a PDF brochure, which is jam-packed with interesting information, including this blurb about the F-Logo:

The Lexus LF-A Roadster is the latest car to be unveiled by our high-performance F-Marque division. Developed at Fuji Speedway and the Higashi Fuji Technical Centre, our two-seat supercar concept combines technological sophistication, leading-edge engineering and unparalleled refinement. To recognise the special role of Fuji in the project, the new “F” logo design integrates some of the most demanding corners of the Mount Fuji track.

This is the first time I've seen it mentioned that the F-Logo actually incorporates elements of the Mount Fuji track right in the actual design. Top-notch.

There may not be anything new to see from the Lexus presence at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show, but this video gives a nice and funky recap of the booth, including a very neat LS 600h information display:

Really, this just makes me even more disappointed that the LF-A Roadster Concept didn't make its way to the Toronto Auto Show I attended a couple weeks back.