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1997 Lexus LFA "Super Coupe" Digitally Envisioned With Toyota Century V12 Engine

Founded in 1989, Lexus set out with a simple goal. To the point, the luxury division of Toyota wanted to outdo the Mercedes-Benz S-Class back when the three-pointed star actually cared about reliability and quality. The F1 Project from 1983 morphed into the LS 400 full-size sedan, and the rest – as they say – is history.
1997 Lexus LFA rendering by Abimelec Arellano 11 photos
Photo: Abimelec Arellano on Instagram
1997 Lexus LFA rendering by Abimelec Arellano1997 Lexus LFA rendering by Abimelec Arellano1997 Lexus LFA rendering by Abimelec Arellano1997 Lexus LFA rendering by Abimelec Arellano1997 Lexus LFA rendering by Abimelec Arellano1997 Lexus LFA rendering by Abimelec Arellano1997 Lexus LFA rendering by Abimelec Arellano1997 Lexus LFA rendering by Abimelec Arellano1997 Lexus LFA rendering by Abimelec Arellano1997 Lexus LFA rendering by Abimelec Arellano
As far as two-door coupes are concerned, Lexus entered this segment in 1991 with the SC line. The sportiest model to date, however, is the high-revving and hand-built LFA that numbers only 500 examples of the breed worldwide.

Described as “one of the all-time greats” by Abimelec Arellano, have you ever wondered what the LFA would have looked like in the 1990s instead of 2010s? The automotive concepts and design artist certainly did, and this gets us to the following rendering of a two-door sports coupe with GT credentials.

“Back then, Lexus was a very, very young brand with less than 10 years in the market. They still had something to prove to the Germans and their super sedans, so I think the LFA wouldn’t have been a supercar but a super luxury coupe tailored to compete with the likes of the Mercedes SL 70 AMG,” said the pixel wizard. “This one has a tweaked V12 engine from the Japan-only Toyota Century because a V10 just wouldn’t cut it for Toyota’s best car ever.”

The choice made by Abimelec for the powerplant of his design study is definitely inspired. The Century is one level above the LS and everything else from Lexus, and it doesn’t even feature the Toyota logo up front or on the steering wheel. To set it apart from everything else the Japanese automaker offers, Toyota utilizes a bird that represents the Imperial House of Japan.

If you think that the “1997 Lexus LFA” rendering looks eerily similar to the Supra Mk IV, your eyes aren’t fooling you. The Lexus SC 300 on which this design study is based utilizes the 2JZ-GE engine, the lesser version with natural aspiration rather than the 2JZ-GTE with a pair of boosty snails.

Abimelec has also created a fake pamphlet for the LFA, which mentions “a car that behaves impeccably doing 10 mph in a golf course parking or 160 mph on Fuji Speedway.” On that note, what do you think about this rendering?

 
 
 
 
 
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The Lexus LF-A is one of the all time greats, no question about it. It worked brilliantly as a halo car and proved the world that Toyota could really be a force to be reckoned with. Have you ever wondered what if Toyota made the LF-A back in 1997 though? I have! And here’s my answer; It was a bit difficult to get all the ideas I had on “paper” for this one, but I think I’m pleased with the result. Back then Lexus was a very, very young brand with less than 10 years in the market. They still had something to prove to the Germans and their super saloons, so I think the LF-A wouldn’t have been a Super Car, but a “super luxury coupe” tailored to compete with the likes of the Mercedes SL70 AMG or S-Class coupe but still given the ability to outperform most cars in a track. This one has a tweaked 1GZ V12 from the Japan-only Toyota Century, because a V10 just wouldn’t cut it for Toyota’s best car ever, and a design language similar to the SC300 coupe. Let me know what you think! Do you think this would’ve sold well? . . . . . . . . #lexus #lfa #toyota #v12 #custom #nineties #90s #coupe #luxury #fast #big #comfortable #colors #fujispeedway #trackday #track #3d #rendering

A post shared by Abimelec Arellano (@abimelecdesign) on Oct 7, 2020 at 8:21am PDT

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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