Lexus Finally Unveils an Interesting Car!

Stop the presses! Someone please pinch me! Lexus has finally unveiled a concept for a car that doesn't make me want to kill myself from sheer boredom!  Please, I beg you, someone assure me that they'll actually build it and get away from their usual rolling piles of self-satisfied smugness!

The LF-A Roadster is based on the sturdy yet lightweight carbon-fiber and aluminum   body used for the LF-A coupe, which helps maintain the structure's strength   and rigidity even without a top.

Like its coupe counterpart, the LF-A Roadster is powered by a high-revving   V10 engine that approaches 5.0 liters in displacement. The V10, capable of more   than 500 horsepower and test-track speeds greater than 200 mph, is mounted in   front of the passenger compartment but behind the front-axle centerline in what   the LF-A's engineers refer to as a "front-mid" configuration.

The engine is connected via a torque tube and propeller shaft to a transaxle   that is controlled by paddle shifters. The torque tube is a structural member   that adds rigidity to the drivetrain and chassis while also reducing vibration.

Styling is rooted in the Lexus L-Finesse design philosophy, conferring the   LF-A Roadster's front end with a compact, low-profile, aerodynamic shape. Like   its coupe counterpart, the LF-A Roadster stands just 48 inches tall, but the   Roadster configuration adds a speed adaptive rear wing.

The rear is marked by a pair of wrap-around, arrowhead-shaped taillights that   bracket a pair of large grilles. These grilles vent the heated air from the   car's two rear-mounted radiators into the LF-A Roadster's aerodynamic wake.   The radiators are fed cool air by two large intake ducts mounted just above   the rear wheel wells. This aft radiator positioning not only allowed the designers   to keep the car's front profile low and tight but also aided the LF-A's chassis   engineers in their search for optimal weight distribution.

Helping to provide balance and scale to the design, which features an overall   length of 175.6 inches and a wheelbase of 102.6 inches, are high-performance   tires on turbine-styled alloy wheels. The front tires are 265/35R20s, while   the rears are 305/30R20s. Like the LF-A coupe, the brakes consist of 14.2-inch   cross-drilled, vented discs up front, and 13.6-inch cross-drilled, vented discs   at the rear. The front brake calipers are six-piston units and the rear calipers   use four pistons each.

An "F" logo, located on each front fender of the Roadster, indicates   the vehicle's status as a part of the new "F" marque. The name is   derived from the original "F" designation for the first Lexus LS prototype.   That vehicle was internally coded "Circle-F," with the "F"   standing for "flagship." The Circle-F designation further evolved   into the code name Flagship One, or F1, and the first F1 concept developed into   Lexus' first vehicle, the LS. Since then, the "F" code has come to   signify a special vehicle program within Lexus that falls outside the normal   engineering and development process. In addition, Fuji Speedway is the IS F's   home circuit, and the shape of the F-logo was inspired by many of the track's   turns. The all-new Lexus IS F sport sedan is the first production vehicle to   carry the F marque.