Confirming last weeks spy story of a race prepped LF-A photographed at Nürburgring, Toyota has now issued a press release on their Japanese global site announcing luxury subsidiary, Lexus, will make a racing/public debut for their LF-A supercar at the legendary 24-hours race at the German Nürburgring in May.
Lexus wants to keep expectations low, by stating they have no intentions of winning the challenging endurance race which will put them bumper to bumper with well established competitors, but instead focus on extracting valuable development data under real world racing conditions.
Since the LF-A road-going production version will not be present, it is easy to speculate that the work being done at the 24-hours of Nürburgring is for a future race version and not the LF-A production road car. With all of the huge press received by Nissan's new halo car, the Nissan's GT-R and it's supporting Super GT race car, Toyota is feeling a bit envious.
[UPDATE 23/04/2008 - Press release in English has been added. Click "Press Release" link below to expand.]
LEXUS LF-A CONCEPT TO PARTICIPATE IN NÜRBURGRING 24 HOUR RACE
The Lexus LF-A concept car will participate in the Nürburgring 24 Hour Race on 24–25 May 2008 as part of ongoing development.
Testing the vehicle on the famous Nürburgring circuit for 24 hours under gruelling race conditions will provide Lexus engineers with a unique opportunity to acquire knowledge that can be used to further the vehicle’s overall development.
The vehicle is not a dedicated race car and will only be equipped with the safety equipment (roll cage, fuel tank, etc.) necessary to meet racing regulations.
A team of experienced Japanese drivers will have the aim of providing feedback to the Lexus development team rather than achieving a race result.
For race support, Lexus will assign a team of young mechanics as part of the company’s commitment to the development of personal and technical skills.
The LF-A concept is powered by a high-revving, 500+ bhp V10 engine. Its front mid-engine placement, along with a rear mounted transmission and rear mounted radiators, allows for excellent weight distribution and agile handling. The horsepower and refined aerodynamics make a top speed of 200 mph not only possible, but probable.
The LF-A concept was originally shown in 2005 to express a bold new direction in styling for the Lexus brand. The goals for the current LF-A are no different than they were with the original concept; to build a supercar with world class performance that is uniquely Lexus.
