RE: Spotted: Lexus LFA

[addlepated]

Whilst the Lexus brand doesn't exactly make me think "Supercar" if you think of it as a Huayra for less than 50% it kind of makes sense and fits the Lexus ethos. Stunning bit of kit and an amazing sound. That fast lap of the 'ring has a good soundtrack - pity about the driver-cam box in the top corner - it obscures some great entry/exit footage. not being picky but I reckon there's at least another 0.25 sec available in the carousel.... :-)

[Guvernator]

kambites said:

jimxms said:

If I had £1mill laying around I'd tell Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mclaren & Nissan to get bent. The LF-A is the car that I want, and I'd put a square 50,000 miles on it every year for the next ten years until the engine may....just may...finally retire.

I don't really understand why, but the LFA is the only supercar to appeal to me in the slightest since the F1.

Having said that, I'm not sure I'd ever spend that much on a car except as an investment.

Could it be that it seems designed to be more about driving pleasure i.e. noise, handling, tactility, feedback, engine response and less about showing off, willy waving or meaningless top trump stats which IMO is the bane of most other cars of this ilk?

It's certainly why it appeals to me a hell of a lot more than most of the other contenders, oh and did I mention the noise?

[jimxms]

Guvernator said:

Could it be that it seems designed to be more about driving pleasure i.e. noise, handling, tactility, feedback, engine response and less about showing off, willy waving or meaningless top trump stats which IMO is the bane of most other cars of this ilk?

It's certainly why it appeals to me a hell of a lot more than most of the other contenders, oh and did I mention the noise?

The noise definitely comes into it for me. I just feel that once you get to the very top-end of the market where money is no object and you've got a handfull of the worlds best cars standing on a forecourt in front of you, if you then go and look at the stats sheets you are complete bellend.

Look at them, drive them, listen to them. Go with your heart (soppy i know).

[Dagnut]

jimxms said:

The noise definitely comes into it for me. I just feel that once you get to the very top-end of the market where money is no object and you've got a handfull of the worlds best cars standing on a forecourt in front of you, if you then go and look at the stats sheets you are complete bellend.

Look at them, drive them, listen to them. Go with your heart (soppy i know).

Of course stats have nothing to do with selling Super/Hypercars....the owners are not interested in headline figures...this is why the LFA was such a roaring sales success

[Blackpuddin]

Interesting to compare Chris's chosen Ring lap with this one of the 599XX -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJj8atDGBzk
You only need to watch the first minute to know which one is best sorted.

[Otispunkmeyer]

Amirhussain said:

Switch said:

That... Noise...

+1 Sounds wicked http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzZdfSRgN_k

That engine is a work of art. They and Yamaha who helped them make it so compact deserve some medals for producing that thing.

[Civpilot]

Blackpuddin said:

Interesting to compare Chris's chosen Ring lap with this one of the 599XX -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJj8atDGBzk
You only need to watch the first minute to know which one is best sorted.

The 599xx is a slick shod racing car that is not even street legal? Not sure why its being compared with the LFA?.

You can't even take your 599xx home with you, it stays with Ferrari between track days. Your LFA can be driven home after a few laps.

[ukaskew]

All this talk of it being too expensive...but it sold out.

I will never, ever get why people get into the cost discussion when clearly the car has/will sell as many as a manufacturer will make. Surely by definition it wasn't too expensive if they quite comfortably found buyers for every single car?

[Grovsie26]

St John Smythe said:

Probably one of the best sounding cars ever built. Just a shame that the performance doesn't live up to the competition.

Yeah? whats that then? 0-60 in 3.7 seconds isn't fast enough?

Also:
On September 2, 2011 reports came from Lexus via Twitter as well as Chris Harris of Evo Magazine that the Lexus LFA Nürburgring Package completed a lap of the Nurburgring in 7:14 with a top speed of 298 km/h on the "Dottinger" uphill climb, the fourth fastest time ever for a production car, and four seconds quicker than the Porsche 911 GT2 RS at 7:18

Slow POS Lexus then?

[kambites]

ukaskew said:

All this talk of it being too expensive...but it sold out.

I also can't think of another car which cost as much which sold as many.

[Grovsie26]

kambites said:

I also can't think of another car which cost as much which sold as many.

Veryron has sold in big numbers.

[Blackpuddin]

Civpilot said:

Blackpuddin said:

Interesting to compare Chris's chosen Ring lap with this one of the 599XX -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJj8atDGBzk
You only need to watch the first minute to know which one is best sorted.

The 599xx is a slick shod racing car that is not even street legal? Not sure why its being compared with the LFA?.

You can't even take your 599xx home with you, it stays with Ferrari between track days. Your LFA can be driven home after a few laps.

I was actually comparing the Ferrari unfavourably with the LFA, maybe I should have said as much. I was hoping the video would do the talking, the Ferrari looks like a right handful compared to the Lexus.

[mat205125]

Grovsie26 said:

kambites said:

I also can't think of another car which cost as much which sold as many.

Veryron has sold in big numbers.

..... to a handful of Arabs, who lap them up every time another "special edition" is released, in the same way that a comic book geek would buy another Batman action figure, or a kid in a playground would "swap" or "need" a panini football sticker

[ZesPak]

Grovsie26 said:

kambites said:

I also can't think of another car which cost as much which sold as many.

Veryron has sold in big numbers.

Wikicars claims a total of 450:

http://wikicars.org/nl/Bugatti_Veyron

And I read an article from 2008 that VAG stated they had sold over 200, so that seams feasable. Also, weren't there about 400 enzo's as well?

Impressive, if you hear some of the running costs this car brings with it, makes a Zonda look properly cheap to run.

Edited by ZesPak on Tuesday 18th December 16:12

[kambites]

ZesPak said:

Grovsie26 said:

kambites said:

I also can't think of another car which cost as much which sold as many.

Veryron has sold in big numbers.

Wikicars claims a total of 450:

So still less than the LFA, albeit close.

[Porkie]

Blackpuddin said:

I was actually comparing the Ferrari unfavourably with the LFA, maybe I should have said as much. I was hoping the video would do the talking, the Ferrari looks like a right handful compared to the Lexus.

Might as well of posted a video of mr D Bell in a 962... thats also a lighter, much more powerful non road legal car on slicks! and that also looks a handful when going alot faster!

I love the Lexus. Amazing to hear that Chris says its the most sorted road std car he has even driven on the ring. Awesome compliment.

Still dont want one like I want a Carrera GT... an F50... or even a Veyron Grandsport Vitesse.

[Dagnut]

ukaskew said:

All this talk of it being too expensive...but it sold out.

I will never, ever get why people get into the cost discussion when clearly the car has/will sell as many as a manufacturer will make. Surely by definition it wasn't too expensive if they quite comfortably found buyers for every single car?

But did they really? They may have sold over an extended period but I'm pretty sure they had there minds set on selling a lot more than 500...the were offering a roadster as well for a while weren't they and that got pulled?

It was the same nonsense with the Veyron " this is just an engineering exercise we will only build 300 at great loss to ourself's....blah blah blah"...they reached that in 2009..how many have they made since then?

Lexus would of made more the 500 if they could of sold them which I think is shown by the fact they were showing a roadster.

[kambites]

Dagnut said:

Lexus would of made more the 500 if they could of sold them which I think is shown by the fact they were showing a roadster.

Probably true, but I don't see what that's got to do with it? Almost any manufacturer would have made more of almost any car if they could have sold more - does that make practically every car ever produced a failure?

[Civpilot]

Blackpuddin said:

I was actually comparing the Ferrari unfavourably with the LFA, maybe I should have said as much. I was hoping the video would do the talking, the Ferrari looks like a right handful compared to the Lexus.

Ah.... Yeah that makes sense now

[kambites]

Porkie said:

Still dont want one like I want a Carrera GT... an F50... or even a Veyron Grandsport Vitesse.

Funny isn't it, none of them do anything for me at all but I adore the LFA.