It didn’t take long for the 2012 Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition’s record 7:14.464 ‘Ring run to be beaten by a bone stock 2010 Dodge Viper ACR. And one can imagine Toyota’s engineers were none too happy about that. Our automotive paparazzo on Europe recently caught this modified teal blue Lexus LFA lapping the Green Hell wearing manufacturer plates. Could this be a preview of Toyota’s attempt to retake its Nurburgring record?
This Lexus LFA looks to be based on the Nürburgring Edition, with the same wheels, and same front splitter found on the high-performance model. Up front, this tester has its carbon fiber hood left unpainted, and gains an extra air intake. The new air intake is located toward the center of the hood, just forward of the smaller kidney-shaped intakes found on previous versions of the LFA.
This LFA tester’s profile is also virtually identical to the Nürburgring Edition. The changes seem to be mainly cosmetic — this LFA tester has an exposed carbon fiber roof, and a black side sill stripe emblazoned with “AD-A.”
Out back is where this LFA tester sports the most dramatic changes. Gone is the distinctive tri-tip center-mounted exhaust. Instead, the exhaust from this tester’s 4.8-liter V-10 exits through four tail pipes, with two tips located just below the taillights on either side of the car. The grilles that previously occupied that space are now gone, with what looks to be a stop-gap cover screwed on in its place. A look at the rear also reveals a new rear foglight, a massive new rear diffuser, and a slightly modified rear-wing.
Though signs do seem to point to a TMG-led run at the Nürburgring record, there is another possibility for this LFA tester. It could be the long-rumored LFA Tokyo Edition. The Tokyo Edition was said to focus more on style than performance, and would feature both an unpainted carbon fiber roof, and rear wing — two things that this tester has.
Nürburgring Edition or Tokyo Edition — whatever it is, this Lexus LFA will likely make its debut at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show in November.
Thanks to: Motor Trend
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