Ugly Duckling? Nude Lexus LF-A Caught Revealing More Cellulite And Bumps Than A Starlet Past Her Prime

OK, I can officially say I tried to like it, yes I really tried to like the upcoming LF-A (LF-L?).  I was optimistic at first and the early designs on the show car circuit were clean and elegant. 

It looked like Lexus finally shattered the Japanese boy racer stigma burned into my brain first by the original GT-R and then followed pathetically by the current GT-R. 

Then I saw these shots of what probably is the final design of the halocar from Lexus.  With the cammo off the final design is every bit as tacky as the GT-R. The mismatch of design queues and a decidedly tacked on look of the components leave this car looking like a high schooler designed it in his garage using the JC Witney catalog. In a word "amateurish".

Now let me be the first to tell the GT-R and I bet even the LF-A can indeed walk with the big boys.  Performance is not the issue at hand.  But when you design what is to be a pivotal icon for a marque I would like to think that it would look better than this.

If you want a look at how to do it right then look no further Ferrari's 458 Italia.  Notice in the gallery how smooth and clean the design is.  The is not one inconsistent line on the car and every component is well integrated into the final design.  Compare the rear end of both cars and you see what I mean.  No big tacky vents covered with unsightly mesh grills.  The design is integrated and superb on the Ferrari, the LF-A on the other hand is a mishmash of looks with no elegance. Maybe it looked good in 2003, but after 6 years of maternal gestation the whole thing just looks dated and no longer relevant.

I can go on with the comparisons but this might be better left to you to decide.  Is this what you would expect from a super car sporting a $450,000+ price tag? 


2009 Frankfurt Auto Show Photo Gallery