The LFA's body mass is composed of sixty-five per cent carbon fibre-reinforced polymer, and incorporates various lightweight materials such as aluminium, titanium and magnesium.

The LFA has received awards including Road & Track's "Best of the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show" and Top Gear's "5 Greatest Supercars of the Year".

The LF-A sports car began development with a codename of TXS, which was intended to showcase the performance capabilities of Toyota Motor Corporation and its Lexus marque.

Prototypes of the LF-A were spotted regularly undergoing testing at the Nürburgring, the famous motorsport race track in Nürburg, Germany,[6] since October 2004.

[8] In January 2005, the first LF-A concept premiered at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan as a design study with no plans for production.

[11] Some news outlets reported the concept name as referring to Lexus Future-Advance,[12] a claim later dismissed by Chief Engineer Tanahashi.

[11] Following enthusiastic public reaction for the LF-A concept on the auto show circuit, development continued with a greater emphasis on a possible production model.

[14] Concurrently, Lexus was preparing for the launch of its long-rumored F marque series of performance vehicles, with a production LF-A being a possible future member of this lineup.

[17] The hybrid version, combining a petrol engine with electric motors, was to feature a V8 powertrain similar to that designed for the Lexus LS 600h L. LF-A test mules continued to be spotted at the Nürburgring, including early models with a large, fixed rear wing.

On 5 August 2009, Toyota's new CEO, Akio Toyoda, publicly confirmed production of the LF-A in his speech at a conference held at the Center for Automotive Research in the United States.

[38] Racing driver Scott Pruett was hired to give test drives to interested buyers, demonstrating the vehicle's capabilities at Auto Club Speedway.

Lexus later changed their stance and allowed outright purchase, but only on the condition that they sign an agreement giving the dealer the first right of refusal to buy back the LFA if the owner wanted to sell it within the first two years.

[44] In the European market, buyers could order their LFA through a single Lexus dealer located in Park Lane, London where it was purchased outright.

[46] The Lexus LFA is powered by a 72-degree bank angle 4,805 cc (4.8 L; 293.2 cu in) V10 engine equipped with Dual VVT-i carrying the 1LR-GUE designation with a maximum output of 412 kW (560 PS; 553 hp) delivered at 8,700 rpm.

Instead, they opted for an automated sequential gearbox, a system previously developed for the Toyota MR2 by Norwegian technology company Kongsberg Devotek (now Semcon).

[55][56] The Lexus LFA's frame is made from an in-house designed and manufactured carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) centre monocoque with aluminium front and rear subframes.

The subframes, which can be removed and replaced minimising potential repair costs, are joined to the monocoque using a newly developed aluminum flanged collar designed to create a stronger joint.

The LFA further features a new driver and passenger seat-belt airbag design[37] increases similar to the S-Class ESF safety concept car.

It also features a re-calibrated transmission with gear shifts made faster by 0.05 seconds, a front splitter, stiffer and more adjustable suspension, lightweight magnesium wheels by BBS wrapped in high performance street tyres, aerodynamic canards at the sides of the front bumper, and a large fixed rear wing, which increases downforce by 33% over the standard car.

The LFA hit 292 km/h (181 mph)[75] on the last straight uphill climb, which is one of the highest speeds achieved by factory standard sports car on that segment of the track.

It was one of the very rare track tests where an actual LFA launch control system was used resulting in a very fast 0–260 km/h (162 mph) acceleration time of only 21.2 seconds.

Auto Bild Germany[91] in the September edition of 2010 in part 1 of the comparison conducted a head-to-head Nürburgring Supercomparo (longer 20.8 km version of the track).

National Geographic's show, Megafactories, reported a 2011 test of the Lexus LFA Nürburgring package driven by Iida Akira that achieved a record time for production vehicles of 7 minutes 14 seconds.

[97] Pointing out that rivals such as the Ferrari 458 Italia offer "more consistent all-conditions dynamics", the magazine gave the verdict that the LFA is "an occasional car, even by supercar standards".

Car Magazine editor and professional test driver Ben Barry called the LFA Nurburgring edition "the Bugatti Veyron of Japan".

The LFA appeared on Fifth Gear with presenter Tiff Needell driving the car around the race track performing hot laps, powerslides, and power oversteers.

[111] The LF-A was subsequently entered into the 24 Hours Nürburgring race for the manufacturer stated purpose of obtaining feedback for fine-tuning production versions[112] along with training of support technicians.

The "Balance of Performance"[124] required a minimum weight of 1,500 kg (3,300 lb), a restrictor diameter of 34.2 mm, and a fuel tank size of 120 litres.

Commissioned in partnership with architect Sou Fujimoto, the full-sized LFA crystal sculpture had a transparent appearance, allowing viewers to see the engine, chassis, interior, and other internal components.

[138] For his role in leading its development project, Top Gear awarded Lexus LFA chief engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi as one of its Men of the Year for 2009.