Lexus LF-A Roadster Concept

[Matt]

Lexus LF-A Takes on Roadster Form – An Open Version of the Supercar Concept Revealed
01/13/2008

January 13, 2008 - Detroit, MI - The engineers and designers at Lexus continue to use their groundbreaking LF-A premium sports car concept as a medium for expressing their ideas about what a high-performance sporting vehicle not only can be, but should be. In this latest expression of the LF-A, they have removed the car's top to create a high-performance roadster.

The LF-A Roadster is based on the sturdy yet lightweight carbon-fiber and aluminum body used for the LF-A coupe, which helps maintain the structure's strength and rigidity even without a top.

Like its coupe counterpart, the LF-A Roadster is powered by a high-revving V10 engine that approaches 5.0 liters in displacement. The V10, capable of more than 500 horsepower and test-track speeds greater than 200 mph, is mounted in front of the passenger compartment but behind the front-axle centerline in what the LF-A's engineers refer to as a "front-mid" configuration.

The engine is connected via a torque tube and propeller shaft to a transaxle that is controlled by paddle shifters. The torque tube is a structural member that adds rigidity to the drivetrain and chassis while also reducing vibration.

Styling is rooted in the Lexus L-Finesse design philosophy, conferring the LF-A Roadster's front end with a compact, low-profile, aerodynamic shape. Like its coupe counterpart, the LF-A Roadster stands just 48 inches tall, but the Roadster configuration adds a speed adaptive rear wing.

The rear is marked by a pair of wrap-around, arrowhead-shaped taillights that bracket a pair of large grilles. These grilles vent the heated air from the car's two rear-mounted radiators into the LF-A Roadster's aerodynamic wake. The radiators are fed cool air by two large intake ducts mounted just above the rear wheel wells. This aft radiator positioning not only allowed the designers to keep the car's front profile low and tight but also aided the LF-A's chassis engineers in their search for optimal weight distribution.

Helping to provide balance and scale to the design, which features an overall length of 175.6 inches and a wheelbase of 102.6 inches, are high-performance tires on turbine-styled alloy wheels. The front tires are 265/35R20s, while the rears are 305/30R20s. Like the LF-A coupe, the brakes consist of 14.2-inch cross-drilled, vented discs up front, and 13.6-inch cross-drilled, vented discs at the rear. The front brake calipers are six-piston units and the rear calipers use four pistons each.

An "F" logo, located on each front fender of the Roadster, indicates the vehicle's status as a part of the new "F" marque. The name is derived from the original "F" designation for the first Lexus LS prototype. That vehicle was internally coded "Circle-F," with the "F" standing for "flagship." The Circle-F designation further evolved into the code name Flagship One, or F1, and the first F1 concept developed into Lexus' first vehicle, the LS. Since then, the "F" code has come to signify a special vehicle program within Lexus that falls outside the normal engineering and development process. In addition, Fuji Speedway is the IS F's home circuit, and the shape of the F-logo was inspired by many of the track's turns. The all-new Lexus IS F sport sedan is the first production vehicle to carry the F marque.

[Matt]

Lexus LF-A Roadster Concept Preliminary Specifications

Body Type: Two seat roadster

Powertrain

Type: Front-mid-engine, rear-mid-transaxle

Engine: V10 (under 5.0-liters)

Transmission: SMT (sequential manual transmission)

Horsepower: More than 500

Top Speed: More than 200 mph


Tire Size

Front: 265/35R20

Rear: 305/30R20


Dimensions (inches)

Overall Length: 175.6

Overall Width: 74.6

Overall Height: 48.0

Wheelbase: 102.6

[Matt]

Lexus LF-A Roadster Concept #3

[Matt]

Lexus LF-A Roadster Concept #4

[Matt]

Lexus LF-A Roadster Concept #5

[Matt]

Lexus LF-A Roadster Concept #6

[Matt]

Lexus LF-A Roadster Concept #7

[Matt]

Lexus LF-A Roadster Concept #8

[Matt]

Lexus LF-A Roadster Concept #9

[Matt]

Lexus LF-A Roadster Concept #10

[NicFromLA]

Show of hands: who's been thinking for years, "When is Lexus going to build the supercar we've all been waiting for?"

I like my Lexus smooth, quite, well-built and if possible hybrid. None of which I look for in a Supercar.

[Ferrer]

I like the profile but nothing else.

[2ndclasscitizen]

The interior's cool, but does anyone else think in profile it looks like a convertible IS?

Also, 9000rpm redline = awesome.

[charged]

I like the look mainly because it has a similar profile to the IS series, love the detailing of the interior especially the floor mounted pedals , the rear looks ok except for the grilles for the radiator venting. Front looks very aggressive, still not sure about the radiator intakes on the side. I think big thermo fans and get rid of the ducting for the radiators side and rear.

The engine sound like its will be a good thing.

[ScionDriver]

I think its good looking, would I buy it expecting it to be anything less than refined? No. Which says right there I don't think Lexus can make a hardcore sports car.