Toyota is back at the Nurburgring testing its long-awaited LF-A supercar. And, as these pics show, the company looks to be readying an even higher performance version of the car, complete with trick aerodynamics.
The giant rear wing on this prototype replaces the retractable item of the regular LF-A. If our experience with the Viper ACR is anything to go by, a properly set-up wing this big could produce 1000lbs of downforce at 150mph, more than enough to keep the carbon-fiber intensive LF-A glued to the track. To balance the car, Toyota is also working on the front end aero package -- note the tabs on each corner, and the slight more aggressive profile of the front airdam.
The appearance of this car is interesting, as it suggests Toyota is still not entirely sure of how to position the LF-A. The regular version will be a semi-luxury supercar, more a Ferrari 599GTB than a Nissan GT-R. Price here in the U.S. is likely to be in the $120,000 to $150,000 range. That puts the LF-A is a way different segment to the Nissan GT-R, but there's no doubt the GT-R's impressive performance -- and the likelihood of an even faster V-Spec version -- has Toyota wondering whether the LF-A is going to be perceived as the best of the Japanese supercars.
As we reported earlier, Toyota has apparently reverted to the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V-10 powerplant and rear drive for the regular LF-A. Transmission is said to be a version of the worked eight speed automatic with fast torque converter lockup used in the Lexus IS-F.
Rumors from Nagoya suggest Toyota has experimented with twin-turbo V-8 under the hood, and even considered making the LF-A the world's first hybrid supercar, using the V-8 with electric motors powering the front wheels and a super-capacitor system to provide a near instantaneous power surge on demand. The company also reportedly tried a seven speed manual transmission.
At this point in the car's development program, it's safe to say most of the performance and dynamic parameters are fairly fixed, and can't be significantly altered without a major rework. But aggressive race-car style aerodynamics -- and maybe a weight reduction program that includes stripping out some of the luxury car features of the regular version, could help the LF-A deliver the GT-R-beating lap time around the Nordschleife Toyota so desperately wants.