2005 Lexus LF-A Concept
01/09/2005 Detroit, MI – Lexus unveiled the LF-A sports car concept at a press conference today at the 2005 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). The two-seat concept blends the performance of an exotic sports car with the luxury refinements of a Lexus. Designed to express a bold new direction in styling for the Lexus brand, the LF-A concept is a vision closely aligned with the company’s Formula One commitment to achieving superiority among its rivals in speed, quickness, agility and reliability.
The Lexus LF-A concept features an engine capable of developing more than 500 horsepower from a displacement of less than five liters. With a combination of optimum gearing, weight and aerodynamics, the LF-A concept would produce a top speed in the neighborhood of 200 miles per hour.
Inside, the LF-A is designed as a luxury high-speed capsule that blends extravagant comfort with precision operation. Although it is about five inches shorter in length than the Porsche 911 Turbo, its wheelbase is nine inches longer. At 48 inches, it is nearly identical in height to the Ferrari F430. And with a width of 73.2 inches, it splits the difference between the Mercedes Benz SL55 and the Aston Martin DB9.
While the LF-A makes a major statement in how Lexus would define exotic sports car performance, it was conceived to express the emergence of a new direction in styling for the Lexus brand, globally.
Simplicity, in form and function, reflects styling that is uncluttered and void of extraneous elements. Elegance, inside and out, avoids exaggeration by prioritizing understated luxury that is intriguing, subtle and seamlessóand slightly surprising. The key to the formula is how the visual contrast between simplicity and elegance creates a look that is dynamic, forceful and vigorous.
The LF-A is a fundamental shift in both style and design for Lexus. The positioning and sizing of major components have been redefined and condensed. By taking an entirely different approach to proportion and packaging, designers have achieved the ultimate weight balance, so vital to high-speed handling and stability.
As a total package, the Lexus LF-A concept is a bold statement and a clear indication of the path that Lexus’ global design will follow in the near future.
Story by Lexus
In Detail
| submitted by | Richard Owen |
| position | Front |
| aspiration | V10 |
| driven wheels | RWD |
| front tires | 245/40R19 |
| rear tires | 285/35R19 |
| f brake size | mm / in |
| r brake size | mm / in |
| wheelbase | 2581 mm / 101.6 in |
| length | 4399 mm / 173.2 in |
| width | 1859 mm / 73.2 in |
| height | 1219 mm / 48 in |
| gear ratios | :1 |
