In less than six hours the wraps will officially come off the Lexus LF-A at the Tokyo Motor Show. And about 36 hours after that, we'll be piloting Lexus' first foray into supercardom on and around Florida's Homestead-Miami Speedway.

But in this day and age, any auto expo wouldn't be complete without one last leak in the final hours leading up to the show, and YouTube – along with the NAGTROC forums -- have delivered.

After the jump you'll find video of the production LF-A making its way around the Nurburgring GP course, along with a slew of still shots that show the Lexus 500+ hp supercoupe sans disguise. Although we've seen everything aft of the A-pillars before, the LF-A's nose is finally revealed – and opinions are split on the chosen headlamp and fascia design. Although we could do without the red-leather steering wheel, the rest of the interior receives high marks, particularly the animated, customizable central LCD display and massive tunnel running through the cabin. And if the video wasn't enough, NAGTROC forum member Adrey has snapped a few shots of the LF-A in Miami as it's being prepped for our big day this week. Expect our First Drive soon, and all the official details to drop in the next few hours.

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Following months of debate, Congress has approved a bill that will pave the way for three-wheeled vehicle manufacturers like Aptera to qualify for funding from the Department of Energy. Next step: President Obama's desk, and the Commander-in-Chief is reportedly expected to sign the bill into law in short order. Rep. Brian Bilbray, a Republican from California who co-sponsored the bill, says:
This is a huge win for scientific innovation and the environment. We need more innovation and less regulation when it comes to promoting new ways to save energy while saving money at the pump.Indeed, three-wheeled vehicle platforms sometimes have the potential to use less energy to operate than their four-wheeled siblings, though some still question the inherent safety of such designs. Assuming the bill passes the President's desk, any manufacturer of enclosed three-wheeled vehicles that can carry at least two adults while returning at least 75 miles per gallon will be eligible for funding, though the DOE will still approve applications on a case-by-case basis.

Hold on to your butts, people. Ford Racing and Roush Fenway Racing have unveiled their new stock car based on the poniest of pony cars. Prior to this, Ford teams in NASCAR have driven Fusions. Well, all right, none of them were actual Fusions or will be actual Mustangs. Rather, they'll be normal stock cars like everyone else in NASCAR drives that are covered with enough stickers and fake grilles to make you think that you might be looking at a Mustang from the stands. Man, "stock car" has really become a contradiction in terms.

Now you won't see Mustangs turning left next week in Charlotte at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The new car will compete in four races next year and only in the Nationwide Series, not the Sprint Cup. As such, it won't be based on the Car of Tomorrow platform that the Sprint Cup series uses, but rather the newer, different Car of Tomorrow platform designed specifically for the Nationwide Series. This first new Mustang to race in the Nationwide Series will be the No. 16 Con-way Freight Mustang driven by Colin Braun for Roush Fenway Racing. Is it enough to make us love NASCAR? Not quite, but if we had to race a bathtub on wheels, we'd pick this one.

General Motors has reached an agreement to offload Hummer onto China's Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery, with Tengzhong taking an 80 percent stake and a private investor consuming the rest.

Details on the deal include Hummer contacting vehicle manufacturing from GM, with the General's Shrevport and Mishawaka plants continuing to produce vehicles through June of 2011, with a possible extension until 2012. A recent report says the sale will net GM around $150 million, although the transaction still has to be approved by both U.S. and Chinese regulatory agencies, which could come later this year or in early 2010.

Tengzhong, which only produces commercial trucks and industrial equipment, has never entered into consumer vehicles before, but according to Yang Yi, chief executive officer of Tengzhong. "We are excited about some of the initiatives already underway at HUMMER that we believe our investment will be able to accelerate, particularly related to the creation of the next generation of more fuel-efficient vehicles to meet not only future regulations but also customer expectations."
 

Mark LaNeve, General Motors' head of U.S. sales, is reportedly set to leave the company on October 15th. LaNeve had been appointed GM North America vice president of marketing and advertising back in September of 2004 after starting his career as the brand manager for the now-defunct Pontiac Bonneville.

A quick glance at our monthly By the Numbers series of posts will show that GM's sales figures here in the States have been in a downward spiral for a good long time, so perhaps the company decided some fresh blood was needed.

At this point, GM has not yet announced a replacement for LaNeve, though Jim Bunnell, executive director of sales operations, will reportedly continue to lead the automaker's dealership consolidation plans. It's also not clear if The General will look outside its own operations or attempt to recruit from within for his replacement.
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There's been no shortage of digital egg-throwing and epithet uttering when it comes to Honda's 2010 Crosstour – this, despite the fact that essentially nobody has seen it in the metal. Thankfully, judging by these first interior shots furnished by Honda, the cabin's design will likely prove to be much less divisive.

Packing an instrument panel that looks like a straight port over from the Accord (albeit one with a different steering wheel), the Crosstour appears to inherit the sedan's lilting dashboard graphic, simple analog gauges, and available navigation system. From where we sit, for such an unconventional vehicle, the interior seems oddly anticlimactic, but at least it figures to be easy-to-use.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the interior that we can see here is the Crosstour's cargo hold, which has a substantial-looking removable sub-floor storage box. We note that there seems to be a significant amount of wheel well intrusion into the cargo area, although we'll have to wait until EPA volume figures are released to see how this has impacted the Crosstour's utility.
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Drum-roll please. After making a point of pausing to listen to its dealers for input and suggestions, Buick has just announced the name of its next mid-size sedan. Plucking a nameplate from its not-too-distant past, the brand has introduced its newest model for America, the 2010 Buick Regal. Believe it or not but it's been six years since any Buick wore the iconic Regal tag, until it was affixed to the Chinese market Insignia-based sedan this year.

Following on the heels of the Enclave and LaCrosse, the Regal hopes to continue the march towards reestablishing Buick as a premium brand worldwide.

Toyota's President Akio Toyoda has said the automaker is in desperate need of an excitement injection, and here's the first dose: the Toyota FT-86 Concept.

Inspired by the Corolla-based AE86 sports coupe of the '80s, the FT-86 concept was designed by the automaker's ED2 styling studio in France and bears a remarkable resemblance to the FT-HS concept shown at the Detroit Auto Show several years back.

Since it's a "concept," Toyota hasn't divulged much about the FT-86 yet, but we do know it's powered by a Subaru-derived 2.0-liter boxer four sending power to the rear wheels. Toyota focused on keeping the weight down to improve handling and, according to one source, the platform is unique to the concept. The engine sits lower in the engine bay to aid aerodynamics while keeping the center of gravity in check, and the overall dimensions of Toyota's new 2+2 are 163.78 inches long and 69.29 inches wide, with a wheelbase of 101.18 inches.

After the FT-86 bows in concept form at the Tokyo Motor Show next month, the production model will be shown sometime next year with sales beginning sometime in late 2011 carrying a sticker price somewhere north of $20,000.

Well, it's official. General Motors has resurrected the Australian-built Zeta sedan for North America, only this time around, it's just for the cops. Set to arrive in your local muni's police fleet in 2011 is the Chevrolet Caprice police patrol vehicle (PPV). First thing's first: it is not the Holden Commodore, a.k.a. Pontiac G8 (rest in peace). It's a left-hand-drive version of the long-wheelbase, Zeta-platform Holden CapriceStatesman. Many of you already know that this car is also sold in the Middle East as, you guessed it, the Chevy Caprice. Also, as had been rumored – you can't buy one. It's a fleet special only, and we can envision fistfights breaking out over these at police auctions in a few years.

The Caprice Cop Special gets an E85-compatible 6.0-liter V8 dishing out 355 horsepower and 385 lbft of torque, and as you'd expect, the engine's duly ruggedized for police duty with oil, transmission and power steering coolers, along with a heavy duty alternator. And yes, the brakes and suspension are uprated. Cue the Elwood Blues litany whenever you're ready.

Inside, it's obviously outfitted with all the toys, including seats designed to accommodate officers' gunequipment belts, a front-seat computer, and all the other stuff you'd expect to find in a police car. And since the fuzzmobile's based on the LWB sedan, there's plenty of room in back for you to relax should you find yourself involuntarily sampling the rear passenger seating. Actually, with your hands locked up behind your back, it probably won't be that comfy after all.

Some automakers celebrate their birthdays with special editions. Some celebrate with big parties. Mini has celebrated its 50th anniversary at the Frankfurt Motor Show with not one, but two new performance-oriented models. Now that's more like it.

Okay, so they also unveiled a couple of special editions, called Camden and Mayfair. And they're throwing a little shindig at their show stand later on. But forget those for a minute and feast your eyes on the Coupe Concept and Roadster Concept. We've already brought you details on both, but the jubilant BMW division took the wraps – or rather, the cake – off the pair at a press conference here at the show. And while they were at it, they confirmed that both are headed for production, expanding the Mini line-up to no less than six models: hatch, cabrio, Clubman, the upcoming crossover and the Roadster and Coupe in question.

Whether the hounds-tooth interior on the Roadster makes it to production, however, remains to be seen. It'll take them a little while to gear up the Oxford factory, but given that both are essentially the same as the existing models below the belt-line, it shouldn't take all that long.