In the 1980s, two decedents of Kiichiro Toyoda, the man who founded Toyota, decided to create a premium brand to challenge the best luxury car companies in the world. They called it Lexus. In 2000, Haruhiko Tanahashi, a top Toyota engineer who developed the ST165 Celica GT-Four, mentioned to colleagues that Lexus' amazing new test track in Japan would be the ideal venue to create a supercar. The LFA idea was born.
But, when the extraordinary Lexus LFA made its debut in 2010, it was initially met with skepticism and sneers from well-heeled customers. The supercar that cost millions of dollars to develop, was all dressed up, but had nowhere to go. This is the story of how the LFA went from the ugly duckling that no-one wanted to the swan that lays golden eggs.
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