Toyota Motors has been the target of a barrage of criticism over major recalls due to serious safety risks, yet this has not deterred those considering adding a Lexus LF-A to their fleet, nor has a price that’s likely to be in the ballpark of $400,000 (equivalent of 37.5 million yen). The LF-A, which debuted in production form at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, is Lexus’ challenge to the ever more popular GTR for Japanese supercar supremacy -  though one would expect a difference in performance would reflect the more than $300,000 difference in price. With plans to produce only 500 vehicles, made to order at a rate of 20 per month, Lexus has stated that formal expressions of interests have already exceeded the number of allotted vehicles. Even if your name is high on the list of those interested who can afford to shell out close to half a million bucks on a Lexus, there’s still no guarantee that you’ll find yourself behind the wheel of this one. Because of such high demand, Lexus has decided that those on the list who can most enhance the profile of this limited edition will be handpicked to get one. By “get one”, if you live in North America, I mean to say “rent one”. The 150 LF-As allocated to make the journey from Japan to the States and Canada will only be available for lease, with the option to purchase after two years.

The Lexus LF-A is scheduled to go to production in December 2010 and deliveries should follow soon after in early 2011.

Photo Credit: CarandDriver.com

The 2012 Lexus LFA is an exotic, two-place, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe costing roughly $350,000. The chassis and body are made largely of carbon-fiber composite, just like those of an Enzo or a Mercedes SLR McLaren. Per Lexus’s scales, the car weighs 3263 pounds—less than a Corvette ZR1. The engine is a 4.8-liter V-10 codeveloped with Yamaha. It’s a compact unit that makes 553 horsepower at 8700 rpm and revs to a giddy 9000 rpm. Maximum torque of 354 pound-feet peaks at 6800 rpm, with 90 percent available between 3700 and 9000 revs.

The interior is restrained but tasteful. The car we drove had a mixture of supple leather, carbon fiber, Alcantara, and “satin metal” adorning the cockpit. Lexus will offer seat coverings in 12 shades of leather or 10 alternate hues of Alcantara, with three color choices for the Alcantara headliner. “Roomy” describes the cabin, although luggage space is minimal.The most remarkable interior features are seatbelt airbags—which inflate in a crash to spread the impact’s forces over a broader section of the body than a traditional belt—and the instrument display, which is as cool as liquid nitrogen. Alter the vehicle settings, and the large central tachometer, which also incorporates a digital speedometer and a gear indicator, changes appearance.

Photo Credit: CarandDriver.com

The Lexus LFA is the most exciting car to come out of Japan since the GT-R, as it should be for the money Lexus is charging. But it’s more involving than the Nissan and a much more special experience. In many ways, its closest natural rival is the Ferrari 599GTB, although the Lexus is more visceral and exciting and better balanced and more nimble. At the same time, the LFA is easy to drive at everyday speeds, quiet at cruise, and refined, just like a Lexus should be. Whether people can equate the brand with a hugely expensive, hugely competent sports car will be interesting to say the least.