engines. Two LF-A prototypes had also competed at Nürburgring VLN endurance races in mid-2009. In September 2009, reports in Japanese automotive magazines indicated that the 4.8 L V10 engine for the LF-A would carry a 1LR designation. A subsequent television ad for the Japanese market showed the pre-production LFA testing at the Fuji Speedway. On 21 October 2009, the production version of the Lexus LFA was unveiled on the first press day of the 41st biennial Tokyo Motor Show. The car was introduced by Akio Toyoda at a press conference, in which it was disclosed that the vehicle would be limited to 500 production copies. The car carried the same designation as the concepts, LFA, but without the hyphen. The production designation reportedly stood for Lexus Fuji Apex, another claim dismissed by Chief Engineer Tanahashi. The LFA was shown as the final vehicle of the press conference, following the LF-Ch hybrid concept. The production announcement for the LFA marked the 20th anniversary of the launch of Lexus. Given the high cost of construction and development, analysts did not expect LFA sales to be profitable. However, the LFA was intended to serve as a testbed for new car technologies, including carbon-fibre mass-production, and related performance vehicle development. At its debut, a circuit-ready model was also indicated for a 2012 launch. Production Lexus began taking orders for the LFA on 23 October 2009. Buyers were selectively chosen by Lexus in the second quarter of 2010. Production began in December 2010. Only 500 total cars were made for worldwide markets, with only 20 produced each month with a base price of $375,000 (£340,000). Each car had to be custom ordered to the customer's specifications. Following the LFA's Introduction at the Tokyo Motor Show, Lexus unveiled a website with an 'LFA configurator', which allowed users to select exterior and interior colours, brake caliper colours, seats, steering wheel leather, and other interior designs. In total, there were over 30 billion possible combinations. Each LFA was hand-built by a dedicated production team of engineers and specialists at Toyota's Motomatchi plant in Aichi, Japan. In the North American market, 150 cars were initially sold through a two-year lease program. This was to prevent owners from reselling the vehicle for a profit. Racing driver Scott Pruett was hired to give test drives to interested buyers, demonstrating the vehicle's capabilities at Auto Club Speedway. The Lexus division of Toyota