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Lexus lets enthusiasts build their own LFA to celebrate model's 10th birthday

Lexus launched production of the LFA, a limited-edition supercar still venerated in 2020, in December 2010. While fans would undoubtedly love to see a second-generation model to mark the occasion, the Japanese firm is celebrating 10 years of LFA production by releasing a paper model that enthusiasts can print and build at home. 500 units of the life-sized LFA were made by hand in Japan between 2010 and 2012. The paper model will be hand-made, too, but builders need to arm themselves with scissors and glue instead of wrenches, and production isn't limited. Anyone can print out the templates (which are included in our gallery) and put the car together. Lexus released four templates: one is blue, one is orange, one is white and one wears the colors of the Gazoo Racing team. Building each car is fairly straight-forward, and basic instructions are shown in our gallery. Lexus estimates assembly takes about an hour and a half, and it suggests folding the paper against a ruler to create a perfectly straight edge. It also notes builders should print out each template on A3 paper to make a bigger car. Full building instructions are published on the Lexus United Kingdom media site. Folks who make their own LFA at home are encouraged to share their creation by tagging the brand on its social media channels. We'll award bonus points to anyone that manages to make a paper version of the naturally-aspirated 4.8-liter V10 engine. As for a second-generation model, our advice is not to hold your breath. Lexus is focusing on other projects, like developing electric powertrains, and it doesn't sound like a follow-up to the LFA is high on the company's list of priorities. It hasn't been ruled out, however. "I love it, but we need your help. We need strong requests for a new LFA from the media. This can help us proceed," vice president Koji Sato told British magazine Autocar in 2019. Related Video:

Lexus IS, new and old, and LFA to make splash at SEMA

Lexus has announced its Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show cars: a group of eight Lexus IS sedans spanning all three generations, and a 2012 LFA supercar. One of the show cars, a custom 2014 Lexus IS 350 F Sport, is a creation penned by IS fan Rob Evans, the winner of a contest to design a Lexus SEMA show car.
The standouts in the group of Lexus IS show cars, in no particular order, are a 700-horsepower 2014 Lexus IS 340 (it has a heavily modified Toyota Supra inline six swapped in, which is stroked out to 3.4 liters, hence the nomenclature change) by Philip Case and a supercharged 2004 Lexus IS 300 by Maricar Cortez. Both cars prove that oldies can be goodies - the venerable Supra 2JZTE engine, which ceased production over a decade ago, lives on in a 2014 platform, and the 2004 IS 300 gets a supercharger and remains relevant through the use of electronics, such as a back-up radar sensor, upgraded headlights and more.
Of course, the LFA by Guy S. De Alwis will be a stand out on its own, but unfortunately Lexus only provided us with a couple pictures that don't do it justice. We'll have to take a closer look at it on the show floor. Same goes for the IS penned by contest-winner Rob Evans, of which only a rendering was provided.

Lexus says it's not worried about LS sales decline in face of S-Class, Model S

The Lexus LS is old. Sure, it received a refresh for model year 2013, but it hasn't had a clean-sheet redesign since George W. Bush was in office. It's the oldest vehicle in its segment, debuting in 2007, a full year before the current-gen BMW 7 Series, two years before the Hyundai Equus and Jaguar XJ and three years before the Audi A8.
This is particularly troubling as buyers flock to the heavily redesigned Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which debuted late last year, and the all-electric Tesla Model S. Despite this move, though, Lexus is (worryingly in our minds) not at all concerned.
"We don't feel it's a problem with the car," Brian Smith, VP of marketing for Lexus, told Wards Auto. "Many of the buyers in that segment want what's new and they're trying it."