Electric Lexus LFA prototype appears at Goodwood – is Japan’s EV supercar going ahead?
The will-they-won’t-they of the electric LFA leans towards a yes, as a disguised prototype makes runs at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed
It still seems bizarre, some eight months on from the reveal of Toyota’s GR GT, that the company is persisting with both this new V8 hybrid supercar designed to take on the Aston Martin Vantage on road and track and a new Lexus LFA. Even more bizarre is that the new LFA, a car whose name references Lexus’s iconic, wailing V10 halo supercar of the 2010s, is set to be electric only.
At the reveal of the GR GT, the LFA was still a concept, and Lexus hadn’t yet decided whether it would make production. Now at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed, a running and driving (albeit disguised) prototype is taking to the hillclimb, and while that’s not confirmation it’ll actually happen, it’s still one step closer to reality. So what do we know?
For now, not an awful lot. Even through the disguise, we can tell that not a huge amount has changed with the design. There have been a few refinements aero-wise, to the vortex generators on the edge of the splitter and side skirts. There’s also a dual-strut system now for the rear wing (more like the original LFA), in place of the single-strut item on the concept.
The biggest change looks to be the lights, which on this prototype are either stand-ins, or significantly revised from the concept to make them more production-ready. We can also see the prototype is wearing BBS wheels of a type Lexus used for the ultra-limited LFA Nürburgring, though these are unlikely to make production.
Lexus LFA Concept – in detail
Just like the new Toyota GR GT, the LFA Concept has a sleek cab-rear silhouette, with a long, dramatic bonnet, huge rear diffuser and even an expansive rear deck complete with an integrated drone (no, we’re not sure why either).
While it might not have the V10 many hoped it might, it sounds like it does. The LFA Concept comes with virtual gears in a similar fashion to those in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, and along with this, a synthesised ‘engine’ sound clearly based on that of the original LFA’s screaming 4.8-litre V10. During the launch of the GR GT and the new 'LFA Concept' name, Lexus said it hoped this car would ‘completely redefine the sound of an electric sports car’.
> The Toyota GR GT is a V8, rear-wheel drive Aston Martin Vantage rival
The concept this model appears to be a development of featured a twin-motor setup for all-wheel drive, and a steer-by-wire system. That car was also targeting an acceleration time from standstill to 62mph in the low-2sec zone along with a range of 434 miles. Whether or not the new Sport concept will share any of these stats is yet to be confirmed.
Toyota hasn’t hidden the fact it’s been actively working on the development of solid state battery tech for years now, and signs are that this car will be the first to receive it when it’s ready. Exactly how far the tech is from production isn’t known, but when it finally comes to fruition, it could make the next LFA one of the most competitive performance EVs we’ve seen yet – it will, however, also make it one of the more expensive.
Inside it's all very futuristic, with a cascading, backlit element framing the driver’s zone and a curved digital dashboard sat behind a yoke-style steering wheel. This wheel includes various dials and switches, with one for 'F-mode', suggesting it might just fall within the Lexus 'F' line should it make it to production.
With the Lexus RC F and LC500 dead, the launch of a new performance coupe would plug these gaps neatly. Given the market launch of its production-spec Toyota GR GT relative won’t come until 2027 though, we’ll have even longer to wait for the next LFA.
