The record crushing Lexus LFA may hold the crown for Top Toyota, but let’s not forget its roots. The Toyota Supra held its own for 20+ years.
The Lexus LFA seemed like a dream when the concept was first shown at the 2005 Detroit Auto show, and then just a concept as it continued to set records at the Nurburgring. Then the 2009 announcement made production of this car a reality. But will it hold the same tenure as the Toyota Supra did? Four generations spanning 23 years.
Photographer Kevin King Uy took some great shots of the Lexus LFA with a Mark IV Toyota Supra.
The right mix of elements is in place as it were for Toyota leading up to the release of the Supra. The 2000 GT had people noticing Toyota, and the Toyota 800 had proven to folks that fun could be had in an easy to drive car that would be friendly in the city and competitive on the track. The magic formula seemed to be the complimenting duo of the Celica and Supra running at the same time. Both, satisfying buyers of different price points.
Can we rename the Lexus LFA as the Toyota Supra (on steroids) and the Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ the Refreshed (and re-badged) Toyota Celica?
Well, only in your head would the names be suitable, but the excitement is there. The passion is there. Toyota sound genuine in their articles, press releases and videos: they want to have fun on the track again. We have covered the history behind the Scion FR-S embracing its genes of the Toyota 800, 2000 GT and AE 86; we should look more at the Toyota 2000 GT and Supra lending the foundation for this new Lexus Supercar.
These photos by Kevin King Uy show the “like father / like son” features of the cars. The proportion of both says Toyota performance and fun to drive. The other trait is how the back of neither car really fits. Its like the back is done by a different design team with a very different motive. Everything on the Mark IV Supra says strength and speed, elongated for effect, yet the small rear does fit as you would expect. It still makes it a Supra and doesn’t ruin the design, but it seems out of place.
The same with the Lexus LFA. The back end works functionally, but it seems unrefined compared to the rest of the body. Squared off, predominantly black, it will do, but could have been better. Come on now, that’s the part of the car people will spend time looking at. Toyota didn’t built this car to be in second place.
I’m looking forward to driving the Lexus LFA, after all, every review about the car is positive (expect for pricing in certain cases) and the Supra was a blast. If it all adds up like it did before, this will be a welcome 20+ years of LFA/FR-S/BRZ. Even if its only a few years, the magic will be in place for another stellar era of Toyota on the Track.
