Lexus LFA replacement to be dubbed Lexus LFR

The Lexus LFA was Lexus’ first dedicated super-sports car and while it commanded supercar price tags, it garnered thousands of fans globally and is still lauded as one of the most iconic, recognisable, desirable and best-sounding vehicles of its era.

Demand for a replacement then has been strong ever since the waling V10-powered coupe went out of production in late 2012, then went through the roof late last year following the reveal of the Lexus Electrified Sport concept, the production version of which will now reportedly be called the Lexus LFR.

According to a report published by CarBuzz, Toyota has submitted a trademark application with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) for both the ‘Lexus LFR’ and solitary ‘LFR’ nameplates.

The LFR nomenclature had reportedly been doing the rounds on Reddit in the lead-up to the formal submissions and there’s little doubt as to what the finished product will look like; Toyota let that cat out of the bag when it showcased the Electrified Sport.

It’s more than likely the design will change somewhat in its production form, but all of the core elements will be retained – the most important of which is its low-slung cab-back silhouette.

Touted as a preview of the absolute flagship of Lexus’ next-generation model range, the Electrified Sport concept was revealed with a hypothetical battery-electric powertrain capable of hitting 100km/h in little over two seconds (yes, 2.0sec) and covering up to 700km on a single charge.

Now, however, it seems new life has been breathed into the working theory of the LFR being launched with the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 hybrid powertrain originally intended for the still-born Lexus LC F.

CarBuzz cites rumours and other reports out of Japan speculating the electrified bent-eight could develop as much as 522kW (700hp).

Another theory doing the rounds at the moment revolves around a 746kW (1000hp) plug-in hybrid system.

Both options are plausible to us and could ultimately end up playing second and third fiddle to a monstrous battery-electric powertrain as per the original concept car.

Rumour has it the LFR will come with Toyota’s recently patented virtual manual transmission, but given Lexus’ more premium positioning within the marketplace and the fact the LFA was never offered with a three-pedal set-up, we don’t expect this theory to prove particularly accurate.

But just such an innovation could absolutely feature on the Toyota GR sports car said to be in development with Mazda, which in turn could serve as the basis for the LFR in a similar fashion to how the Lexus ES is derived from the Toyota Camry.

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