Lexus LFA’s Twin-Turbo V8 Successor Allegedly Arrives This Summer

The Lexus LFA ended production in 2012, and because it was a commercial failure at the time, no replacement has ever manifested itself. But in 2025, that could be about to change, if reports out of Japan are to be trusted. Local publication Best Car reports that the car, widely expected to be named the Lexus LFR, will enter production in the summer, which means that initial deliveries could begin by the fall. As always, we ought to take such rumors with a pinch of salt, but at the same time, let’s examine why a launch this year could be possible.

The LFR (Or Whatever It’s Called) Has Come A Long Way

In October 2022, CarBuzz discovered the Lexus LFR trademark at the European Union Intellectual Property Office, and roughly a year later, the name appeared on an information board at a Lexus dealer meeting, where Toyota’s GR GT3 concept from the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon was shown off with a Lexus badge. Since then, we’ve seen development mules taking to the racetrack with a V8 soundtrack.

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Lexus Is Benchmarking The LFA Successor Against Italy’s Best

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This V8 engine is likely to be a twin-turbocharged unit borrowed from endurance racing. As things stand, it appears that Toyota Gazoo Racing will campaign something like the GR GT3 on the track, while Lexus will launch a range-topping halo car for the road with similar proportions and powertrain.

Why Rumors Of A 2025 Release Make Sense

In June last year, Toyota World Endurance Championship team director Rob Leupen said that the GR GT3 would enter competition in 2026, while Toyota Racing Development head David Wilson strongly suggested that the same concept would form the basis of the next Lexus RC F. With that in mind, last month’s news that the RC and its V8 RC F sibling will be dropped at the end of the 2025 model year seems perfectly timed.

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How The Lexus LFA Went From Failure To Must-Have Supercar

The Lexus LFA is a motoring icon. But it didn’t start out that way. Initially, potential customers gave it a miss, preferring established brands.

If Best Car’s rumor proves true, Lexus could replace the geriatric RC with something far more advanced and special, elevating the brand’s contemporary range and injecting some exoticism into the lineup. At the same time, while the likely LFR name is certainly tinged with legacy, the model’s potential positioning as a replacement for – and upgrade to – the RC would allow it to avoid at least some comparisons with the inimitable LFA. The LFR won’t be nearly as expensive or over-engineered as the LFA, although it’ll certainly be more powerful, with Best Car claiming that around 900 horsepower will be available from the hybrid powertrain, 720 ponies of which would be combustion-powered. We’ll have to wait for official announcements, but all the signs suggest this is one rumor we should not overlook.

Source: Best Car