Yahoo Autos Lexus LFA Successor, Possibly Called LFR, Spied Testing at the 'Ring
Toyota's GR GT3 concept car could enter production as a Lexus LFA successor and carry the moniker LFR.
New spy photos show the sports coupe testing multiple rear-wing setups at and around the Nürburgring.
No official details are available yet, but the LFR looks to utilize a carbon-fiber tub and is rumored to feature a hybrid V-8 powertrain.
It's been a long three years since Toyota drew back the cover on its GR GT3 race car concept at the 2022 Tokyo Motor Show, but new spy photos reveal that Toyota and Lexus are well on their way to our dream a reality. The production version of the sports coupe is expected to arrive as a spiritual successor to the Lexus LFA, with Toyota's GR division developing the car from the ground up with motorsports in mind.
New LFA Possibly Called LFR
The newest spy images show the car testing in Germany at and around the Nürburgring Nordschleife. While nothing has been confirmed, there's word that the LFA follow-up could be called the LFR. Despite the heavy camouflage, it's clear the test model shares a lot of DNA with the original concept. According to our spy photographer, there are at least two test mules in Germany, with the automaker testing two fixed rear-wing setups.
No powertrain details or specs for the new car have yet been confirmed, but it is expected to use a hybrid V-8—audio in the video below from track testing in Belgium seems to support that claim. The yellow warning stickers on the prototype suggest it features electric power, while our photographer reports the model started off silently before the engine kicked on after a few meters.
The new images also give us our first look at the interior, which offers a surprising amount of detail, despite being covered in all sorts of doodads. For starters, we can see that the door and hood are both made from carbon fiber. While the transmission tunnel looks far from production-ready, we can spot an automatic gear selector. We also see what looks like Toyota's recent central infotainment and HVAC system tucked behind a testing monitor on the dash.
The outside of the car shows off a small hood scoop and large intakes at the front of the car. Another pair of intakes is cut into the rear quarter panels, just ahead of the spoiler, while huge cutouts behind the rear fenders look to provide brake cooling.
The influence of Toyota's GR division is clear with the development. Our spy photographer reported that the prototype is already lapping the Nürburgring in under eight minutes. Other reports suggest that Toyota and Lexus are fully focused on building a new race car for the GT3 class, something Toyota also supported in previous statements. Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson told Car and Driver back in 2022 that the current RC F GT3 race car was designed as an "afterthought," and explained how that proved to be an issue.
"What we’ve all come to learn is that’s not the way you bring a GT3 car to market," Wilson said in the same interview. "Before you put your first line on paper, you decide you’re going to race that car, and that shapes the design parameters, the performance parameters of that production car."
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