Lexus sprang a major surprise at the Goodwood Festival of Speed with the world-first dynamic drives of its LFA Concept electric supercar.

Its appearance came 17 years after the original V10 Lexus LFA first appeared in prototype form at the world-famous celebration of motoring performance in the south of England.

Scheduled to appear only on static display in the festival’s Supercar Paddock, the LFA Concept was an unannounced addition to the high-speed sessions on the festival’s hill climb course. Its bodywork still bearing camouflage wrapping, it formed a trio of high-performance stars alongside GAZOO Racing’s prototype GR GT and GR GT3, with which it shares some common technologies. Together, they further signalled Toyota’s multipath approach to powertrain development, across a spectrum from road-going and circuit-tuned hybrid systems to ultra-high-performance battery electric technology.

Driving duties over the four days of the festival (9-12 July) were shared by a company of distinguished drivers, including Elfyn Evans from Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT), Toyota Racing Vice Chairman Kazuki Nakajima, GR GT, GR GT3 and Lexus LFA Concept development driver Hiroaki Ishiura, four-time Super GT Champion Sho Tsuboi, Super GT driver Yuichi Nakayama and German racing driver and Nürburgring specialist Uwe Kleen.

The Lexus LFA Concept presents Lexus’ vision for a next-generation electric sports car, blending advanced performance with emotional appeal and invoking the spirit of the original LFA.

Introducing the car ahead of its festival appearance, Project General Manager Yukihiro Yukita said: “The Lexus LFA Concept will pursue delivery of a multi-sensory experience unique to Lexus and challenge the possibilities of what a battery electric sports car can be, unlike anything that has gone before. 

“This next-generation LFA is a car that provides an immersive experience like no other, imitating nothing else. This sense of immersion was born from the pursuit of a high-level fusion of aerodynamic performance and sculptural beauty. Our focus is emotive performance that evokes ‘immersion’ and ‘lasting resonance’, creating a truly one-of-a-kind car.”

Born from motorsport rivalry and shaped by uncompromising feedback from the world’s most demanding circuits, the GR GT and GR GT3 embody GAZOO Racing’s philosophy of learning through competition. The Lexus LFA Concept builds on competition-honed insights and technologies, translating them into values that resonate directly with driver in an immersive, multi-sensory experience in which man and machine can feel as one.

They follow a bloodline established by past icons such as the Toyota 2000GT and Lexus LFA, reflecting the belief of Chairman Akio Toyoda, aka Master Driver Morizo, that the skills of sports car craftsmanship must be nurtured and passed on to future generations.

It’s an approach inspired by the principle of “Shikinen Sengu”, an ancient Japanese ritual in which a Shinto shrine is dismantled and rebuilt once in every generation to preserve and enhance the craftsmanship skills used in its creation.

The GR GT is a track-inspired road car with racing DNA, powered by a new 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo engine paired with a single-motor hybrid system. In addition to high power and torque for exceptional performance, the car’s development focused on achieving a low centre of gravity, low weight with high rigidity, and aerodynamic performance.

The GR GT3 shares the GR GT’s core elements but has a different profile as a track-focused race car. It’s engineered to be highly competitive and deliver accessible performance.

Looking ahead, the Lexus LFA Concept presents Lexus’ vision for a next-generation electric sports car. It shares common technologies and aspirations with the GR GT and GR GT3, while blending advanced performance with emotional appeal and invoking the spirit of the original LFA. It aims to exceed customers’ expectations, drawing the driver into an immersive experience like no other.

The GR GT and GR GT3 will be on show and in action at the festival, appearing in the Supercar Paddock and making speed runs on the famous hill climb. Defined by steep gradients, tight corners and unforgiving barriers, the hill climb is one of motorsport’s most technical short courses for demonstrating acceleration, agility, aerodynamic stability and driver confidence. This will be the first European dynamic uncamouflaged appearance for both models. Meanwhile, visitors will be given a first close-up view of the Lexus LFA Concept in the Supercar Paddock.

GAZOO Racing’s competition stars

GAZOO Racing’s participation at the top tiers of international motorsport will be celebrated at the festival with appearances by the GR YARIS Rally1, the car which has delivered multiple World Rally Championship titles for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team, and the DKR GR Hilux, a winning contender in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship.

A line-up of championship-winning and internationally renowned drivers will be demonstrating the cars’ performance on the hill climb and rally stage. Subject to confirmation, it will include all TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team’s drivers: the nine-time and reigning World Rally Champion Driver Sébastien Ogier; current WRC leader Elfyn Evans; Japanese star Takamoto Katsuta; team newcomer and Rallye Monte-Carlo victor Oliver Solberg; and Sami Pajari, a past WRC Junior and WRC2 champion.  Henk Lategan, a winner with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship and four-time South African champion, is set to take the wheel of the DKR GR Hilux.

TOYOTA RACING: from Le Mans podium to Goodwood

TOYOTA RACING will display the #7 TR010 HYBRID that recently achieved Toyota’s sixth victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries. The team’s hard-fought victory in one of the world’s most challenging circuit races took the team to the top of the driver and manufacturer championship standings in the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship. The car will be on static view alongside the GR YARIS Rally1 and DKR GR Hilux.

Road cars infused with GAZOO Racing performance and design

The knowledge and experience gained by GAZOO Racing in the heat of competition feeds directly into the development of ever-better cars for the road. At Goodwood, this philosophy will be demonstrated by the GR Yaris Aero Performance, the latest development of the multi-award-winning performance hatchback. Also taking part in the festival’s “First Glance” programme will be the all-new RAV4 GR Sport, a version of the plug-in hybrid SUV that benefits from both GR-themed design details and a chassis and suspension tuned for sportier handling.

*The GR GT and GR GT3 cars appearing at the festival will be prototype/development vehicles.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is to host the first public presentation outside Japan of the Lexus Electrified Sport concept, the company’s vision for a future all-electric high-performance sports car – seen by many as a potential successor to the legendary Lexus LFA.

This study for a radically styled coupe was a striking model among 16 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) revealed by Akio Toyoda, Toyota Motor Corporation President, in December 2021, as he outlined the company’s far-reaching strategy to achieve carbon neutrality.

The company will extract the full potential of its vehicles through electrification, strengthening the fundamentals of linear acceleration/deceleration, brake feeling and exhilarating handling to deliver an even more enjoyable driving experience. The Electrified Sport car will see the Lexus Driving Signature taken to the next stage.

With the essential bold proportions and low ride height of a sports car, it symbolises the future of the Lexus brand. Acceleration time (to 100 km/h) is expected to be in the low two-second range and the car will have a cruising range of more than 700 km. It is possible that a production model may use new solid-state battery technology to achieve authentic high performance.

Through BEVs, Lexus will develop into a brand that offers a variety of experiences, harnessing performance development that only a car maker like Lexus could do, and by honing the craft of making ever more personal products. Lexus will develop a next generation battery EV sports car that inherits the driving taste, or the ‘secret sauce,’ of the performance cultivated by the development of the LFA.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed will take place from 23 to 26 June in the grounds of Goodwood House in Sussex, England. The Lexus Electrified Sport concept will feature in a bespoke display in the Festival of Speed’s Electric Avenue, an area dedicated to electrified vehicles.

For all its exclusivity and rarity – from the outset, production was limited to just 500 examples – the LFA left a legacy that has influenced every car Lexus has built since. It pioneered new powertrain and materials technologies and exemplified the takumi hand-crafted approach to manufacturing and design that has become a brand-defining quality for Lexus.

The LFA story began in early 2000 as a research and development project to produce a thoroughbred supercar. Lexus Chief Engineer Harahiko Tanahashi was given free rein and the chance to work with new materials and processes. This “clean sheet” approach echoed the way Lexus rewrote the luxury car rulebook with the flagship LS sedan that launched the marque 10 years previously.

In 2001 Master Driver Hiromi Naruse joined the team and his skills would prove key to the LFA achieving its handling and performance goals. In the early stages, 500 key assets were identified, from the suspension design to the shape of the steering wheel; every detail had to be perfect. The first prototype was completed in 2003 and a year later was running its first laps of the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the legendary race track that would be the cradle of the LFA’s development.

The world had its first glimpse of what Lexus was planning with the reveal of a design study at the 2005 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, followed by a closer-to-production concept car two years later. In 2008 the LFA – still a work-in-progress – made the first of four annual appearances in the gruelling 24 Hours of Nürburgring. This was the toughest possible test of the car’s performance and quality, prior Lexus confirming its production at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.

Manufacturing began at Lexus’ state-of-the-art Motomachi plant at the end of 2010. Such was the dedication to precision engineering, production was at a rate of just one car per day with each engine assembled and signed off by a single technician, complete with an engraved plate bearing the car’s production number.

The LFA was rich in amazing and revolutionary features. At its heart was an all-new, naturally aspirated 4.8-litre V10 engine, produced in a joint venture with specialists Yamaha. Even though it was smaller and had fewer cylinders than some supercar rivals, its performance was exceptional, delivering a maximum 560 DIN hp at 8,700 rpm. Front-mounted and driving the rear wheels through a six-speed automated sequential gearbox positioned on the rear axle, it could power the car from rest to 100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds and on to a 325 km/h top speed.

Keeping the car’s weight down was essential to its performance, achieved by switching from the aluminium used for the original concepts to carbon fibre reinforced plastic – CFRP. This strong but lightweight advanced woven composite material was used for the most of the bodywork, the passenger cell and the transmission tunnel and has since been used in other Lexus models, including the GS F and RC F, members of Lexus’ exclusive F-performance car stable. Stopping power had to be as effective as the drive, hence the use of high-performance ceramic brake discs.

There was still more the LFA had to offer, in the form of the ultra-exclusive Nürburgring Package, a version re-engineered to maximise the car’s track potential. Drawing directly on the car’s racing experience, it gained stiffer suspension, lighter forged alloy wheels with performance tyres and extra aerodynamic features, including a new front lip spoiler, front winglets and a fixed GT-style high rear wing to maximise downforce. With ride height reduced by 10 mm, the car also hugged the ground more closely. To compensate for the extra drag, engine power was increased to 570 DIN hp.

Production was to be just 50 cars, with each owner given professional instruction and a year’s driving pass to the Nürburgring. Its quality was confirmed in 2011 when it set a new Nordschelife lap record for a production car, driven by Akira Ida.

The last word on the LFA should go to Harahiko Tanahashi the man who realised the dream. He explained: “I intended to build a supercar that would the driver to this state through the unity of its parts – the engine’s sound, its feel when revving, its handling and stability.” Asked what “this state” meant, he replied simply “euphoria.”

Of course, LFA ownership is the privilege of just a very people, but everyone has the chance to make and own their own Lexus supercar with a print-and-build origami-style LFA paper model: all the assets you need are available on the right side of the page.

Scroll down to enjoy a chronological LFA timeline detailing major chapters in our supercar’s life, from conception and evolution to its production.

Lexus LFA timeline: January 2000

The LFA programme begins in early 2000, initially as a relatively straightforward research and development project by parent company Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC). Soon afterwards, Lexus chief engineer Haruhiko Tanashi was appointed as project leader and it was transformed into a bespoke Lexus development programme. Working from a blank canvas and with no immediate constraints, Tanahashi and his team were allowed to pursue new technologies, materials and processes with the aim of creating a thoroughbred supercar.

January 2001

Tanahashi enlisted TMC’s highly experienced master driver Hiromu Naruse to help outline the qualities and must-have features for the future supercar. Together, they created an exhaustive list of 500 key assets, encompassing everything from suspension settings to the shape of the steering wheel. Development of the LFA’s V10 engine began within a year of Tanahashi’s arrival.

January 2002

Naruse recommended that Tanahashi recruit a third member into the LFA team, somebody who was passionate about business and engineering but one who could also help influence the decisions of top management. That person was Naruse’s star pupil and heir to the TMC empire, Akio Toyoda. With Toyoda’s help, the board eventually agreed to green light the team’s proposals.

June 2003 and October 2004

The first LFA prototype was completed in June 2003 and Tanahashi always ensured that Toyoda was the first driver to experience each iteration. Sixteen months later a heavily disguised LFA prototype lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit for the first time.

January 2005

Lexus pulled the wraps off the first design study at the Detroit motor show. Described as the LF-A sports car concept, this hand-built machine adopted primarily aluminium construction. Its sheet-aluminium body covered a chassis made of an all-new technology of aluminium extrusions and castings held together by welds, rivets and bonding adhesive. Broad performance and powertrain specification were also revealed in that it would feature a V10 engine displacing less than five litres and power it to a top speed in the region of 200 miles per hour.

January 2007

Whereas the first LF-A was purely conceptual, overwhelmingly positive response from the press and public alike prompted Lexus to conduct even more serious engineering analysis. As a result, this second concept revealed at the Detroit show two years later was much more production focussed. It was now obviously configured with a mid-mounted engine and offered improved aerodynamics, an authentic interior, and F marque emblems.

What wasn’t revealed until later, however, was that the slightly larger measurements and complex styling came as a direct result of a staggering change in tactics – the switch from aluminium to carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) construction. Although the technology to produce a vehicle in this new material did not yet exist within Lexus, it would reduce overall mass by 100kg and, more critically, stiffen the body by a significant margin.

January 2008

The Lexus LF-A Roadster concept was unveiled at the Detroit motor show as the third and final iteration of the LF-A series. More a rolling demonstration of how adaptable the strong yet lightweight CFRP body was – even without the benefit of a roof to connect both sides – the Roadster never made it past the show circuit. Nevertheless, it did debut what would become the production model’s speed adaptive rear wing.

May 2008 / 2009 / 2010 / June 2011

Under the stewardship of Akio Toyoda, the LFA project’s inside man and soon-to-be TMC president, Lexus entered the LFA four times in the punishing 24 Hours of Nürburgring race. This spanned consecutive years in 2008 and 2009 with the car still in prototype form, and then in production form in 2010 and 2011. The objective was simple – to push the LFA as hard as possible under the most testing of conditions. Toyoda-san himself joined the race team in May 2009, offering a clear indication of his enthusiasm and confidence in the car and the development team behind it.

LFA timeline: October 2009

During the press briefing on the eve of the Tokyo Motor Show, Lexus announced the full specifications and official launch of the Lexus LFA supercar but revealed that production would commence in late 2010 and be limited to 500 units. Every car would be hand-built at the high-tech Motomachi plant, with each V10 engine being assembled and signed-off by a single engineer as testament to the LFA’s bespoke nature. Cars would roll out at a maximum rate of 20 per month to ensure peerless build quality and attention to detail.

March 2010

It is frequently thought that the super-limited LFA Nürburgring edition came as a result of Gazoo Racing’s class-winning outing at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring race in 2010. However, the announcement and reveal of this very special edition predated the race by approximately two months. The car was, in fact, a planned, further development of the LFA project, directly inspired by the race car and spearheaded by team coach Hiromu Naruse. Sadly, however, the project become something of a posthumous commemoration of Naruse’s talent, as he was tragically killed in a road traffic accident just outside the Nürburgring in June 2010.

LFA timeline: December 2010

The first Lexus LFA rolls off the production line at the Motomachi plant in a special ceremony attended by Akio Toyoda, Lexus brand ambassador Riyo Mori (Miss Universe 2007) and 150 team members from the development and manufacturing divisions.

Each car was built to order and given a plaque engraved with its production number, while the configuration possibilities were so vast (allegedly 30 billion) it is said that no two cars were ever alike. This is why Lexus retains a 3,500-page reference document for each vehicle, which records the exact specification and production details in case of future enquiries.

March 2011

The exclusive Lexus LFA Nürburgring Package was shown in public for the first time at the Geneva motor show. Strictly limited to just 50 examples, the optional package provided additional aerodynamic features and technical revisions to improve handling and downforce. Engine output was increased to 562bhp, primarily to overcome the model’s additional aerodynamic drag, while gear changes through the six-speed sequential transmission were speeded up.

August 2011

Almost seven years after the first LFA prototype lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife, LFA test driver and professional racer Akira Iida recorded a lap time of 7:14.64 in a fully road-legal LFA Nürburgring Package, running on standard specification Bridgestone Potenza RE070 tyres. At the time, that represented the fastest lap of any production car.

December 2012

The final Lexus LFA, this white Nürburgring Package model pictured above, rolled off the production line at Motomachi on 14 December, exactly two years after production started. As he watched it leave the plant, no doubt with a tear welling in his eye, chief engineer Tanahashi commented: “I’ve lived and breathed supercars for the past decade. Specifically one supercar, the LFA. Very few people have the opportunity to create a world-class supercar from a blank sheet of paper.”

LFA timeline: legacy

Production may have concluded in December 2012 but the LFA’s legacy lives on. Its DNA has been passed on in one way or another to every subsequent Lexus. Perhaps more importantly, its success changed perceptions of Lexus inside and outside the company. “I intended to build a supercar that would take the driver to this state through the unity of its parts – the engine’s sound, its feel when revving, its handling and stability.” And what state was that, we wanted to know? “I wanted to create a state of euphoria,” he replied.

The Emil Frey Lexus Racing team will make its debut at the Total 24 Hours of Spa on July 28-29, fielding two Lexus RC F GT3’s in the 70th edition of the iconic endurance race.

Entry in the race comes off the back of strong results for Emil Frey Lexus Racing in its first full season of the premier Blancpain GT Series, including a spectacular victory in round five of the championship at Circuit Paul Ricard in France.

It also follows a positive recent test session at the Spa Francorchamps circuit - home of the Total 24 Hours of Spa - where the outfit tested various set-ups and settings in both wet and dry conditions.

Emil Frey Lexus Racing also referenced data from its successful outing at Spa Francorchamps last year, when the team secured the first pole position for the RC F GT3 worldwide and went on to secure a dominant win during a round of the International GT Open series.

Team principal Lorenz Frey said the team's confidence was boosted by the recent test and knowledge that the RC F GT3 performed adeptly on the challenging, seven-kilometre Spa layout. "Taking into consideration the track of Spa suits our Lexus RC F GT3 very well with its fast corners, we should see a good performance," he said. "Spa is one of the toughest GT3 races taking place on probably the most spectacular race track there is and everyone in the team is really excited for our first 24 hours race with the Lexus.

A highly experienced line-up of drivers, including Monegasque Stéphane Ortelli - a former winner of the 24 Hours of Spa and 24 Hours of Le Mans - will pilot the two Emil Frey Lexus Racing RC F GT3s in the race.

LFA ART CAR

To mark this premiere and the 10^th anniversary of the Lexus’ ‘F’ performance brand, Lexus Europe will reveal a unique LFA Art Car at the Spa racing weekend. Designed by Portuguese artist Pedro Henriques, the livery of this one-off vehicle merges the instantly recognizable lines of the most iconic Lexus supercar, the LFA, with an organic pattern expressing the feeling of movement and constant evolution.

“My inspiration for this livery was the idea of fluidity present in the contemporary life, where things are in constant movement and it’s hard to freeze anything, Pedro explains. The lines in the drawings follow this feeling of going everywhere and never stopping; a progressive life. I wanted to reach an organic feeling by using handmade material and liquid lines in the elements spread through the car. By doing this I hope to express a feeling where the car becomes a less defined shape, in constant mutation in its movement.”

Lexus cultivates a passion for art and design, as showcased every year by the brand’s exhibits at the Milan Design Week. This summer, Lexus also opened a pop-up UX Art Space in Lisbon, featuring works by several artists including Pedro Henriques.

The LFA Art Car will join the on-track parade on Saturday July 28 before the start of the 24 hours race.

TIMETABLE TOTAL 24 HOURS OF SPA

Thursday, July 26, 2018

• 11:45 - 13:15 Free Practice 1
• 18:10 - 19:10 Pre-Qualifying
• 20:50 - 21 .05 Qualifying Q1
• 21:12 - 21:27 Qualifying Q2
• 21:34 - 21:49 Qualifying Q3
• 21:56 - 22:11 Qualifying Q4
• 22:30 - 00:00 Night Practice

Friday, July 27, 2018

• 17:45 - 18:15 Warm Up
• 18:30 - 19:00 Super Pole

Saturday, July 28, 2018

• 16:30 - Total 24 Hours of Spa

All sessions will be broadcast live via: www.blancpain-gt-series.com/watch-live

Starting with the 423 DIN hp, V8-powered, IS F, and taking in the legendary LFA supercar, the 477 DIN hp RC F coupe and the GS F saloon, Lexus F cars have always been at the heart of the performance and excitement of the Lexus brand.

The festivities will begin at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where five-time Daytona winner and former Lexus LFA development driver Scott Pruett will be taking to the hill in the Lexus RC F GT3 racing car – recently a winner in both the American IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship and the Blancpain GT Series in Europe.

Scott will be at the wheel of the American 3GT Racing car, which sports a distinctive blue chrome livery.

The American racing legend will be joined by Briton Jack Hawksworth, who currently races the 3GT Racing RC F GT3 in IMSA. Jack will be driving a race-prepared RC F Cup sporting a one-off Lexus ‘F’ livery. Abbie Eaton, test driver on television’s The Grand Tour, will also be driving up the hill at the wheel of the iconic Lexus LFA.

The new RC F 10th Anniversary, which features an exclusive Mercury Grey matt paint finish last used on the LFA and striking Blue Carbon interior upholstery, will make its dynamic debut in the First Glance paddock.

The 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed will be held from Thursday July 12 to Sunday July 15 on the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, England. More information can be found on www.goodwood.com/flagship-events/festival-of-speed/.