Lexus is to start production of their LFA supercar. This machine will do nought to 62mph in 3.7 seconds and has a top speed of 202mph. If you want one you had better get your cheque book out quick, there will only be 500 of these £336,000 cars.

The rear-wheel drive LFA was created by a small, passionate and dedicated team of engineers whose achievement has been to push the boundaries of technologies materials and engineering at every stage to produce a car like no other to have carried the Lexus badge. It is powered by a bespoke, high-revving 552bhp 4.8-litre naturally aspirated V10 engine giving 200mph-plus performance.

In the words of Chief Engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi: “The LFA is a thoroughbred supercar, a machine engineered to achieve a single goal – to deliver a supreme driving experience. Over the past decade we have pushed every boundary in pursuit of this goal and I believe we have created the most driver-orientated car we possibly could.”

The LFA programme was launched in 2000 as a straightforward R&D project. The first LFA prototype was completed in 2003 and a design study made its public debut at the 2005 Detroit motor show. In 2008 and 2009 the LFA was entered in the Nurburgring 24-hour race. 2009 sees the official launch as a production-ready model at the 2009 Tokyo motor show.

The LFA will be hand-assembled at the Motomachi plant in Toyota City. Only 500 examples will be built, at a maximum rate of 20 per month to ensure the finest build quality and attention to detail. Each V10 engine will be assembled by a single engineer, and will bear his signature as testament to each LFA’s bespoke status.