Lexus lap leader at Green Hell

Better known as "Green Hell", the infamous track provided a fittingly extreme location for the menacing, soon-to-enter-production Lexus supercar. Named to reflect its hardcore racing credentials, the Nurburgring Edition LFA supercar sprinted around the 22km circuit in 7 minutes 14.64 seconds.

Driven by Japanese test driver Akira Iida, the LFA featured no modifications over the production model and used Bridgestone Potenza RE070 tyres as fitted to the standard road-going LFA.

The LFA Nurburgring package has been optimised to deliver higher performance on the track, with a number of modifications made to the standard LFA.

The LFA Nurburgring package is included in the limited 500 production run of the LFA.

It includes a carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) front spoiler and fixed rear wing to enhance aerodynamic performance.

The LFA Nurburgring package also comes with track-tuned suspension and custom wheels to improve manoeuvrability and stability.

Compared to the standard LFA's output of 412kW (560 PS), the output of the LFA Nurburgring package has been raised to 420kW (571 PS) to counter the slightly increased drag coefficient from its unique aero downforce package.

'For us, it is always very special when a car is developed to meet the needs of the Nurburgring-Nordschleife," said Dr Schmidt, COO of the Nurburgring Automotive GmbH.

"It shows us that the Nordschleife is still of particular importance for the automotive industry and that it still radiates a tremendous fascination.

"The lap time driven demonstrates impressively that Lexus has done an excellent job in matching the challenges of the track with the needs of an exclusive sports car," Dr Schmidt said.

"Since 2004 in the spring and summer of every year we have conducted development tests for the LFA at Nurburgring Nordschleife," said Haruhiko Tanahashi, LFA chief engineer.

"The LFA Nurburgring package is the compilation of our extensive testing program and we have appreciated the opportunities to utilise the Nurburgring Nordschleife to strengthen and develop the LFA into the vehicle it is today.

"The development team's obsession, Iida-san's concentration and good course conditions all led to achieving this record," said Mr Tanahashi.

Commenting on the result Iida-san said: "The result with the LFA Nurburgring package shows the car's ultimate performance and agility. This is the first activity of its type for Lexus and the constant effort of the team has brought this fantastic result."

The Lexus LFA supercar was first shown at the 41st Tokyo Motorshow. The final development of the carbon fibre chassis for LFA took place over five years, which followed a five year research program into alloy bodies. The entire program was an indispensable step for Lexus, and its future models.

The first model of the new generation Lexus, the new GS, shows the future direction for the brand in terms of bold, dynamic styling, precise handling and innovative technology.

The full hybrid GS 450h will be shown for the first time at Frankfurt Motorshow on 13 September.