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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Lexus , Toyota , Rumormill Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lexus LF-A concept. The writing has been on the wall for some time. Although the Lexus flagship graduated from "concept" to "prototype" when it campaigned in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring , Toyota has refused to even hint at a production date for the V10 supercar. Then Toyota declined to plonk an LF-A silhouette on their Super GT racer, electing to continue with the doomed SC 430 jello mold. Then news broke that production cars would cost a whopping $225,000 , but the LF-A still wouldn't turn a profit. Needless to say, Toyota doesn't like things that are not profitable. Finally, members of the testing and development crew who have been putting the car though its paces in Germany, as well as test drivers from rival Honda and Nissan crews, have told Autoblog that the LF-A is not destined for the showroom, and will remain only a development platform. No reasons were given...
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Filed under: Motorsports , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Lexus There hasn't been any news on an IS F racecar since we heard rumors that the sedan, unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon , was really a reskinned 2004 Opel Vectra DTM . While Lexus might not be supporting a factory-backed motorsports program for the IS-F, that doesn't mean that privateer teams can't develop a car on their own. DRC Motorsports has done just that and has built two IS-F racecars that will compete in the GT class of the SPEED World Challenge. Dubbed the IS GTF, it will be sporting a 4.7-liter V8 putting out 510 horsepower and attached to six-speed sequential transmission. The first car will make its debut this weekend at Mid Ohio with Jeff Altenburg, last year's SWC Touring Car champion, behind the wheel, and the second car, driven by Robb Holland, is scheduled to make its maiden run the following race at Road America. Both cars are scheduled to run the remainder of the race season. If you want to watch the...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Convertibles , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Supercars , Lexus Click above for high-res gallery of the Lexus LF-A Roadster The last time we talked about the price of the Lexus LF-A , we had only the car's price in China and a whole lot of speculation to go on. The car's retail in China was set at $264,700, and based on that a Lexus fan site did it's best guestimation to arrive at a US price of approximately $130,000. Say it with us now: oh boy, was that wrong. Lexus has said the first number of the car's price will be a "2," and Inside Line has word that the car might run $225,000. That is more than either a Gallardo or an F430 Spider, including European delivery and two weeks of vacation in Via Reggio. The LF-A convertible will cost even more . Inside Line says "Lexus is gunning for the Italians." With that kind of price, we actually believe Lexus is sidestepping the Italians and has simply declared, "Your comparisons are futile...
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Filed under: Coupes , Sports/GTs , Lexus The image above is only a rendering we found on the interweb We've been hearing about a possible Lexus IS coupe for what seems like eons, and by most accounts, it's likely to hit the streets sometime around the turn of the decade. A convertible is supposedly in the works too, but until now, there's been limited proof that Lexus was planning to offer the two-door version of its entry-level sedan. However, the crew at my.is has been scouring U.S. and Canadian patent applications and has come up with three new filings from Toyota's luxury division that could mean Lexus is at least considering bringing the IS coupe to market. The patents include alphanumeric names with a "C" affixed to the end, including the IS250C, IS300C and IS350C. "C" could mean a couple of things, but the smart money is on "Coupe." It's also telling that Lexus' lawyers have patented the IS300C designation, since there's nothing...
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Filed under: Motorsports , Spy Photos , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Supercars , Lexus Click above for high-res gallery of Lexus LF-A spy shots The LF-A is one of those cars that seems like it will never get to market. We've gone through two different LF-A concepts already, plus an LF-A Roadster , and the high-performance luxury sport coupe isn't even on sale yet. Spy photographers from KGP have caught another new version of the LF-A near the famed Nurburgring in Germany, this one apparently decked out in full racing regalia. The most tell-tale sign that this is likely not a road-going version of the car is its giant, fixed rear wing in place of the retractable one seen on prior prototypes. It also has what appears to be carbon fiber canards on the outer edges of the front clip, which, last time we checked, aren't often found on road-legal automobiles. Our fine photographer friends suggest that Lexus might be aiming for success in motorsports with the upcoming LF-A, especially after...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Motorsports , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Etc. , Supercars , Lexus , Toyota Smokey Nagata took a Supra to Nardo to flog it around the track and remind Toyota about what it could be doing with its time. Now, a freethinking designer with some serious rendering skills has upped Smokey's Supra by kitting out an LF-A in a similar garb. The result is this, the TOP SECRET LF-A Nardo 400 Supercar Concept. Created by Jon Sibal , the car is an LF-A with some "Nagata san flavor," customized graphics, and a hunger for the 400 km/hr mark. We'll take it standing still. We don't know how many more people will need to nudge Toyota before the company will give us a sports car again. But if Toyota asked itself "What kind of bada** statement can we make to get back into the sports car game?", this kind of car could the answer. Toyota? Anyone? Thanks for the tip, Michael! [Source: Bespoke Ventures ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Convertibles , Coupes , Hybrids/Alternative , Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Green , Crossovers/CUVs , Lexus , Australia Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lexus LF-A Roadster concept. Lexus Australia's chief executive, John Roca, gave up a number of product details to The Australian in an interview this past weekend, including the addition of an "F" variant of the GS sedan and possibly a full-size LS limo. Both models are aimed to attack luxury stalwarts Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz by offering a number of high-performance variants and also developing a new model that would slot in below the IS sedan to take on the BMW 1-series and the Audi A3. That model is still a few years away, but it will be an integral part of Lexus' commitment to reach one million global sales in the next two to three years. The other element includes offering hybrid versions of every vehicle it sells, plus the introduction of a hybrid-only model that will...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Lexus , Driving Click the image above for a hi-res gallery of Lexus IS F pics So we recently got some seat time in the Lexus IS F, and we can proudly report that it's not anything Lexus has ever been before. Does it really compare to the M3 and C63 AMG? In a little-kid-from-down-the-street-trying-to-get-in-the-game way, yeah. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be in the game. Follow the jump for the full story, and check out the new gallery of Lexus IS F pics below. Gallery: First Drive: 2008 Lexus IS F Gallery: Lexus IS-F Continue reading First Drive: the 2008 Lexus IS F Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Convertibles , Sports/GTs , Lexus Click above image for a high resolution gallery of photos We were left hanging yesterday with a ton of pictures of Lexus' brand new LF-A Roadster Concept , but no information to go along with them. Now Lexus has filled us in by releasing information and rather vague specifications on the car, although it's nothing we wouldn't have guessed. The LF-A Roadster is essentially based on its coupe brother that first made its debut back in 2005 in Detroit . A revised version was also shown in Detroit last year . Power comes from a V10 under 5.0 liters with something north of 500 horsepower, and shifting is done via a sequential transmission with paddle shifters. A significant change to the Roadster version, besides not having a fixed roof, is the retractable rear wing that adjusts according to the vehicle's speed. By continuing with the LF-A series, we can only hope that this means Lexus is still planning...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Lexus click above for high-res pics of the 2008 Lexus IS F var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/2008_Lexus_IS_F_to_start_at_56_000'; Lexus announced today that its super sedan, the IS F, will hit the market with a base price of $56,000. In exchange for your money, Lexus will give you an IS sedan stuffed with a 5.0L V8 producing 416 horsepower and 371 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,200 rpm, with which you could reach 60 mph in 4.6 seconds if so inclined. Attached to the muscle car-like motor is an 8-speed automatic with lighting quick 0.1 second shifts, and Lexus has fortified the car with a suspension tuned in Germany on the Nurburgring and Japan on Fuji Speedway. There's also bigger brakes, larger wheels and boy-racer bodywork that has yet to grow on us. Let's get this out of the way first... 2008 BMW M3 Sedan : Pricing N/A, 414-hp 4.0L V8 2008 Mercedes Benz C63 AMG : Pricing N/A, 507-hp 6.3L V8 2009 Cadillac CTS-V : Pricing...
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Filed under: Convertibles , Coupes , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Wagons/Estates , Etc. , Euro , Crossovers/CUVs , Supercars , Aston Martin , Audi , BMW , Lamborghini , Lexus , Maserati , Mazda , Mercedes Benz , Nissan , Volvo , Renault , Opel , Peugeot , FIAT Click the image above for a hi-res gallery of the Reventón The Lamborghini Reventón has been named L'Automobile più Bella del Mondo. Translation: The World's Most Beautiful Automobile. It earned this honor in the Special Models category of this annual automotive fashion show, recently held for the fifteenth time at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, Italy. There are eleven categories in all, though the Special Models category is generally considered to be the big winner. Other cats include your various sizes of sedans, coupes, convertibles, station wagons, crossovers, sports cars and concept cars. The judging panel included artists, architects, designers, a historian, and a journalist. We like...
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Filed under: Coupes , Sports/GTs , China , Supercars , Lexus , By the Numbers In early 2008, the Lexus LF-A will go on sale on China. The price: $264,700. That's a lot of yuan, even with the expected markup for the Chinese market. Zeng Lintang, vice president...
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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Etc. , Lexus To tie into its sponsorship of the U.S. Open, Lexus is going to host a "Virtual Tennis Open" using the Nintendo Wii. The tourney will be for charity, but the top prize of a one-year lease on a Lexus IS-F is for the...
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