Tokyo Auto Salon: The LFA Roadster That Drives Bloggers Bonkers
This innocent white car will lead major news outlets astray. It already does. Shown at 2UX3J, or rather the Lexus booth, this LFA roadster concept makes blogs of all stripes, from Jalopnik to our sister publication Autoguide, fantasize about an impending launch in 2014. I am sorry, they have all been misled.
A usually highly reliable source at Lexus tells me that there will be no LFA roadster, or, for that matter, any other LFA. The project is finished. Done. Syuryo.
The topless car had made appearances at major auto shows in the past in varying colors and sent speculations in high gear. It was never meant for production. Previous reports of an impending launch in 2014 were likewise wrong, my source assures me.
The source confirms TTAC’s report that the team at Motomachi has been mostly disbanded, and that only a small team is retained to supply LFA customers with parts and support. This can be a very safe assignment. Chief Engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi expects the lifetime of an LFA to be 50 years, or more. The carbon fiber material is virtually indestructible.
The car on display in Tokyo is the same car that had been shown before in varying colors. A give-away are the buttons at the center console that already look a little shopworn.
Most likely, this will be the last appearance of the mystery topless LFA. Then why show it at all? Remember, the motto of the 2UX3J Lexus booth is “Real or Fake?” Prepare to be fooled. The LS600 with studs won’t see the light either.
Sayonara, LFA.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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This is a sublime car for those with great taste. (TMC, please credit account #339182 for this Toypostivie post)
A supercar with a lifespan of 50 years? Only Toyota could pull that one off. On the other hand, a search for "Porsche engine failure" yields about 1,190,000 results. Yes, really. The TTAC article "Porsche's Deadly Sin #1" is at the top of the list, BTW. Sigh...