lf-a

Our take: Toyota has a chip on its shoulder and it has something to do with prestige. Like so many other companies, it is taking an unprecedented beating in the current market (well, unprecedented for Toyota, at least). Whereas other companies are scaling back to the nitty-gritty, Toyota refuses to say "No" to the glamorous side of the auto business. First it reaffirmed its commitment to F1, now it has reaffirmed its commitment to the Lexus LF-A supercar.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lexus LF-A concept.

The writing has been on the wall for some time. Although the Lexus flagship graduated from "concept" to "prototype" when it campaigned in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, Toyota has refused to even hint at a production date for the V10 supercar. Then Toyota declined to plonk an LF-A silhouette on their Super GT racer, electing to continue with the doomed SC 430 jello mold.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lexus LF-A concept.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lexus LF-A.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lexus LF-A racecar.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the race-prepped Lexus LF-A

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lexus LF-A racecar.

Toyota has confirmed that the Lexus LF-A will campaign in the 24 hour Nurburgring race this May in an effort to shake down the new supercar before its launch next year. Toyota has no intentions of winning the grueling enduro, instead, it's using its unconventional entrant into the race to aid development of the super coupe and gain feedback for the production car.

Click above for high-res gallery of Lexus LF-A spy shots

Smokey Nagata took a Supra to Nardo to flog it around the track and remind Toyota about what it could be doing with its time. Now, a freethinking designer with some serious rendering skills has upped Smokey's Supra by kitting out an LF-A in a similar garb. The result is this, the TOP SECRET LF-A Nardo 400 Supercar Concept.