When it was announced at the NAIAS in 2005, there was some confusion about what the LF-A was. Was it a Lexus supercar? Was it a Supra replacement? Does Toyota even know?



Then, despite the existence of a very expensive Toyota Formula 1 team, Toyota decided that the LF-A was definitely a Lexus (the LF stands for L-Finesse, which is its design language - or lack of).

The only real link that the LF-A had with the Toyota and Lexus ranges was that it had a V10 engine and so did the F1 cars.



However, since the LF-A appeared, the rules in F1 have changed, meaning that there is now nothing which links the LF-A to anything else Toyota or Lexus builds.

Obviously there is a business case for a premium mainstream maker building a mid-engined supercar – the R8 has exceeded a lot of expectations.



The problem is that the R8 is backed up by a plethora of RS models, while Lexus has nothing but big luxury saloons and SUVs. There is the IS-F but I reckon that’s too new to have time to establish a decent sporting reputation for the brand.

That leaves Lexus with a redundant supercar entered in the 24-hour race at the ‘Ring, which is apparently a road-car with the odd bit of kit like a roll cage to make is pass race safety regs. It’s fast, but it looks, goes and sounds like nothing Toyota or Lexus makes.

Will the LF-A last much longer than the race in a fortnight’s time? I’m not too sure.