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Lexus LFA Test Mule Spied Testing With Wider Wheel Arches, Performance Tires

Wide and super-sticky Michelin tires, wider-than-regular wheel arches, a cabon-fiber rear wing, and a rear end that doesn’t complement the rest of the bodywork as far as color is concerned. What is Lexus even testing at the Nurburgring Nordschleife?
2018 Lexus LFA test mule 23 photos
Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
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The man behind the wheel of the LFA is Yuji Tachikawa. The 43-year-old has three championship titles to his name, winning twice with Toyota and once with Lexus. The question is, what is Yuji doing at the world’s most challenging racing circuit, driving a Japanese supercar that ended production in 2012 after 500 examples of the breed were manufactured at the factory where Toyota now produces the Mirai?

This and the previous question aren’t easy to answer. But knowing Lexus, the F performance division might be cooking something up. It would’ve been clearer if Yuji were behind the wheel of the LC F, but regardless of the vehicle in these photographs, there’s no denying something of significance is in the pipeline.

“Could Lexus be thinking about bringing the LFA back into production?”
Group vice president and general manager, Jeff Bracken, wouldn’t rule out a replacement for the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive supercar, but nothing clear has been revealed up to this point. The decision-makers might be onto something, more so if you bear in mind the supercar status of the LFA compared to the grand touring character of the LC.

To this day, the LFA is remembered as one of those oddballs that acquired iconic status from the get-go. The styling is one thing, but the sound of the naturally aspirated V10 is something that not even Lamborghini can replicate with the Huracan Performante.

When it was new in 2010, the LFA used to retail in the United States at $375,000. The performance-oriented model was even pricier at $445,000, with the final vehicle coming off the assembly line equipped with the Nurburgring Package option.

On that note, let’s remember what Lexus of Europe boss Alain Uyttenhoven said back in February 2016: “It is possible that we will one day create another supercar, but in my view, a super-high-end machine is not what we need right now."
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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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