Currently reading: 2008: year of the Japanese supercar

2008: year of the Japanese supercar

Lexus looks set to lead a fresh batch of Japanese supercars when it finally launches the LF-A in 2008 - but Honda and Nissan won't be far behind.

Toyota has apparently shown a working prototype of the LF-A inside the company, and test hacks have been thrashing around the Nurburgring for months.

The original LF-A concept had a 500bhp V10 as a showcase for Toyota’s F1 involvement but since the sport has now switched to V8s, sources indicate that there might be two versions of the car - called GT500 and GT450, and powered by a V10 and V8 respectively. They would probably cost £100,000 and £75,000.

Lexus is unlikely to have the Japanese supercar market to itself for long, however. Honda is said to be preparing its next NSX – based on the NSC concept car of 2003 – and it should also feature a 500bhp V10. And Nissan is readying the next Skyline GT-R, also for launch in 2008.

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