Lexus Sport Concept suggests an LFA successor

The Lexus Sport Concept car shown off at Pebble Beach is “a vision for a next-generation sports car” says the company. Or, put another way, it’s the replacement for the LFA supercar that ended production in 2012. Lexus also says of the concept car that it is a “progressively styled, future-focused yet truly authentic sports car”.

The racy concept gives an early look at the styling of the brand’s upcoming flyer, with a cab-rearward stance and a maze of cooling vents. It will evidently be known as the LFR.

Two related prototypes showed up at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. This has similar proportions and shares many familiar styling cues with the pair, suggesting a strong link between the cars.

The front light and grille signature run along the length of the front wings while an N-shaped rear light bar spans the car’s width.

The prototype’s conventional side mirrors are gone, replaced by racing-style cameras in the concept. There is also a small, aerodynamics-enhancing tail fin on the roof that appears to light up when the brakes activate.

At the rear are a large diffuser and active rear spoiler, hinting at a turn of speed. Something else missing from the concept car – it has no exhaust pipes. This suggests the vehicle is a development of the Electrified Sport Concept of 2021, the forerunner to an electric supercar.

However, a triangular motif at the rear reminds of the LFA exhaust configuration, suggesting this is the successor to that wild child.

The electric supercar evidently rides on a structure inspired by Lexus’ GT3 racers. It may be the first mass-produced electric car to feature a ‘manual gearbox’. But it is not due out until the end of the decade.

Meantime, Lexus’s V8-powered supersports car, a rival for the AMG GT, is likely to hit showrooms in late 2026. And the GT3 racing variant from Goodwood should debut in next year’s World Endurance Championship. GT3 regulations require that competitors share their basic body designs with a related road car. 

Lexus’s current GT3 racer, the RC F, is now long of tooth. And production of the road-based RC F and the RC coupé will end later this year.

Technical specifications for LFR are few and far between but the Goodwood car’s exhaust and engine noise suggested a highly tuned V8. It is likely the road car will feature turbocharging and probably electrification to help it meet global emissions regulations.