Car Throttle

Nurburgring records, Lexus - there is something a bit unusual about that. Do those go together? Apparently, they do, because Lexus has set a record at the Nuburgring track with the aptly named LFA Nurburgring Edition. The record certainly gets you some bragging rights in the world of car enthusiasts. Witness Porsche and Nissan's wrangling a little while back over who had the best lap time. That all is in the rearview mirror now though, as Lexus has posted a time of 7:14.64. The run that Porsche posted with its 911 GT2 RS was 7 minutes and 18 seconds, a good enough record to hold the title since April 2010. Lexus' record isn't for the overall fastest time at the track mind you, but just

Since 2000, Lexus has reigned as the top-selling luxury brand in the United States. That has been entirely off of crafting an image of unrelenting quality - you know, the Passionate Pursuit of Perfection. For the most part, performance didn't play a part of the equation until the IS-F arrived. With the LFA, Lexus is aiming to show a different side of itself. And that it definitely does, and Motor Trend displayed that well in a new video showing them testing the car. Drifting is a uniquely Japanese sport, and is primarily done with lower cost cars like Nissans, Toyotas, Mazdas, Mitsubishis, Subarus and the like (we know we missed some in there). But what about a $375,000 Lexus LFA supercar? Is it the king of

As we have breathlessly covered over the last few months, a lot of hoopla has been made surrounding the LFA and its innovative (some say dumb) leasing program in the United States. 150 LFAs are destined for our shores, and not to just any owner with the cash, but to those handpicked by Lexus based on certain criteria. Now comes a scoop from Autoblog over the exact details of such a program. Take a deep breath and think hard; it gets complicated. The lease for the LFA is over period of 24 months, for a $375,000 car. The mechanics behind the deal work out to a payment of $12,398.44 per month. Doing the math, that results in $297,562.56 over the period of the lease. If you're an

When it rains, it pours! Today, images of a supposed LFA "Nurburgring" edition leaked on the internet, and word broke about the car taking part in the Nurburgring 24 Hours Challenge that takes place in May of this year. Now, the special edition model has gotten an official release - but without the Nurburgring name. Instead, it is just called Lexus LFA Special Edition. The LFA gets some small (and we mean small) tweaks - like a reworking of the transmission that changes shift speed time from 0.2 seconds in the standard car to rack day 0.15 seconds in the Special Edition. Whohoo! Basically everything we heard earlier was correct - the LFA Special Edition gets small canards (dive planes) on the front bumper and rear wing in

The Lexus LFA has already been in the news today for new images on the internet that showed the upcoming special edition track model, dubbed Nuburgring. Now the car is in the news again, and it has to do with - you guessed it, the Nurburgring - again. Smart PR work here on Lexus'. A lot better than leasing information and the buying process, that's for sure. To demonstrate the LFA's performance chops, two production-model LFAs will be taking part in the 24 hour endurance challenge that begins at the track on May 13th. Preproduction model LFAs have already done time at the track in the 2008 and 2009 endurances races while the car was being developed. Just a few modifications are supposedly being made to

Ever since its introduction, news about the LFA has almost been primarily about the unique leasing purchasing process, pricing and the like. Finally, we get some more news about the actual product itself. A few months back, Paul Williamsen, the National Manager of Lexus College, revealed that Lexus was considering a track-focused model of the LFA. The Nurburgring is that car. Interestingly, the special edition model is supposed to be out of the existing 500 unit run. This is unusual because manufacturers (like Bentley with the Veyron) typically use special edition models to extend the run. Given Lexus plans not to do so, expect a small allocation for the Nurburgring model. Right now details on the car are sparse - either because the changes are small,

The Lexus LFA and its whole buying process has been one of the most extensively covered in the automotive industry. We're convinced its a ploy to keep it consistently in the news. But, that is our job - to bring you the news.

Until now, the Lexus LFA's pricetag for the United States market hasn't been official. Now, it has been announced. Unfortunately, it hasn't gotten any cheaper - $375,000, not including destination and delivery charges, or the myriad of options available.

It is no secret we'd rather have a Ferrari 458 Italia - or Lamborghini Gallardo, or Aston Martin DB9, or....you get the idea.

However, it seems as if there are willing buyers, at least in the brand's home market of Japan. Want an LFA? Not

Since the official introduction of the Lexus LFA, it seems a lot the information coming out about it has had to do with the purchasing process. The odd way of leasing to avoid speculation in the North American market has featured, and recently news came about that the car has already sold out its run in Lexus' Japanese home market. You would think in a challenging marketplace, Lexus would take all the customers - err, make that lessees, that it can get. Apparently, that isn't the case though. The Wall Street Journal says: "People selected to purchase the car will be based on factors such as the other cars they own, where they live, and how often and where they drive....we want it to be seen

Last we heard about the Lexus LFA, it all had to do with sales. Last month we reported that Lexus opened a dedicated sales center for the car in Europe and prior to that, it had to do with the allotment of LFAs to the United States and more details about the car's speculator-thwarting leasing scheme. Now, news has to do with sales again - the Lexus LFA has sold out its run in Japan. 165 Lexus LFAs were allotted to Lexus' home market of Japan, and all 165 have been reserved in the months since the car's official introduction. In Japan, as well as in Europe, the leasing (oddly) isn't in effect - only in North America are the LFAs leased. The fact that

Yesterday, it was revealed that Lexus would only be leasing the LFA in order to circumvent speculators looking to buy the car and sell it for more. There was a few different questions that came along with that - like, how much would it cost to lease the LFA? Out of the planned 500-unit run, 150 LFAs will be heading to the United States and 10 to Canada. No LFA will be built unless it is ordered - Lexus has already began accepting "purchase applications" for the car in October. They are also designating 15 Lexus representatives trained specifically to handle LFA customers. Those representatives will be stationed in Lexus' four U.S regions: West, Chicago, New Jersey and Atlanta, as well as Lexus' headquarters in California. LFA