RE: NSX and LFA: Time For Tea?
Thursday 18th December 2014
The wait is very nearly over. There will be a production version of the Honda NSX at the Detroit motor show, just the three years after the concept was shown. From the murky images seen so far it looks much like that car. We really will find out soon!
The new NSX. NearlyLexus is also bringing a new car to Detroit. It won't be an LFA replacement, nice though that would be to tie in with this video. We would guess it's a fast GS saloon but will know for certain come January.
NSX and LFA: Time For Tea?
Lexus and Honda both confirmed new fast cars this week; when better to celebrate the greatest hits?
The new NSX. Nearly
Anyway, regardless of upcoming models, the original NSX/LFA pair are the definitive fast cars from each manufacturer. The NSX showed the Japanese really could combine reliability with supercar excitement and forced others to up their game. The LFA remains totally amazing a few years after a launch; that Lexus, the builders of hybrid SUVs and tedious saloons, should produce such an exquisitely focused supercar remains absurd. Thank goodness it was just a decade in development as much longer and a hybrid drivetrain would likely have been forced on it. That the V10 remained unsullied is something we should all be happy about, particularly as it further distances the LFA from Lexus's run of the mill. If ever a car was built by engineers and not marketeers, the LFA is it. Especially at £300K+...
This video is a Head to Head from Motor Trend. It's a really detailed look at both in terms of significance and dynamics, plus a look ahead to the future (albeit from a couple of years ago). It's the perfect accompaniment to your afternoon brew, though be wary of going from here to other LFA videos. It's a slippery slope!
Watch the video here.
[Source: Motor Trend, via YouTube]
Discussion
I know Senna tested and gave feedback on the development of the NSX, but the Lexus LFA sounds like his F1 car on a warm up lap. It's a really lovely sounding engine, with an F355 like mellow wail from the exhausts and a lovely intake noise. It sounds similar to an M5 V10 with carbon airboxes and no rear silencers. A bit too loud driving through urban areas maybe, but great. I've never loved the way it looks, but I think it's distinctive and modern looking like the current Lexus models.
Ten Four said:
Lets just say I am not a fan of that guy.
I think he's fine, just an average guy that loves cars giving opinions. If you think he's bad just look up the word 'pretentious' in the dictionary. There you'll find no words, just a photo of 'Alex Roy'. 
Edited by iloveboost on Friday 19th December 13:36
well, i won't criticise a guy for criticising a gearbox I never tried... I am just thankful these two wonderful cars exist.
(on another note, I think the nsx sounds better, at least in the video: the lfa is loud, but somehow less perfect in its melody. I feel nowadays we appreciate sound quantity more than quality, but for me the honda is like mozart to the lfa's ac/dc).
Happy festivities to everybody!
(on another note, I think the nsx sounds better, at least in the video: the lfa is loud, but somehow less perfect in its melody. I feel nowadays we appreciate sound quantity more than quality, but for me the honda is like mozart to the lfa's ac/dc).
Happy festivities to everybody!
RenOHH said:
The NSX is great, but I really don't think it's one of the most important cars of the last 25 years (or whatever that bloke said). It's achieved a halo status now because it's rare, but I wouldn't say it was important to the story of the car.
I disagree, it was venerated in its time. It's been one of my dream cars ever since it came out. I have a book on the design and engineering of the Mclaren F1, and they grouped together a bunch of supercars and took objective measures from them all that related to how good they were basically - the NSX trounced the other supercars that they assembled (ok, it didn't trounce all the others in all measures, but it was better, no doubt about that). The NSX remains one of the very best road cars I've ever driven, and the only one from that era - it was almost outside of its own time. The trouble is, the buying public care about image, not technical excellence, and to be honest, the £30k to £40k that a decent example commands now (I haven't checked, they may have gone up since I last looked..) is pretty decent - look at 964RS or 993 values; I know which is the better car... We knew that then as well if you look at road tests, it's just that the public wanted badge and image so they bought Ferraris and Porsches instead.The presenter was a bit annoying. I did learn some interesting facts though - the two that stand out are that the LFA's engine is so low that its gearbox has to be geared up from the crank, and that the valves are below the level of the top of the front wheels! Amazing. I also hadn't seen the snippets of Senna and the NSX before, or learnt that he drove the car on more than one circuit. I'd love to know more detail on what Senna's involvement was in the NSX.
RobM77 said:
I disagree, it was venerated in its time. It's been one of my dream cars ever since it came out. I have a book on the design and engineering of the Mclaren F1, and they grouped together a bunch of supercars and took objective measures from them all that related to how good they were basically - the NSX trounced the other supercars that they assembled (ok, it didn't trounce all the others in all measures, but it was better, no doubt about that). The NSX remains one of the very best road cars I've ever driven, and the only one from that era - it was almost outside of its own time. The trouble is, the buying public care about image, not technical excellence, and to be honest, the £30k to £40k that a decent example commands now (I haven't checked, they may have gone up since I last looked..) is pretty decent - look at 964RS or 993 values; I know which is the better car... We knew that then as well if you look at road tests, it's just that the public wanted badge and image so they bought Ferraris and Porsches instead.
It may be the better car but the public voted with their feet - in 14 years of production they couldn't even sell 19,000 cars and that's not because it was particularly exclusive or expensive at the time; people just didn't care enough. There have been many examples of things that were quantifiably better (most obvious one being Betamax vs VHS or more recently uncompressed vs compress/lossy audio) but it still doesn't matter to the majority. I wouldn't say that the public's rejection of the NSX as opposed to other marques was purely down to image - a 911 for example is a unique everyday driving proposition (the equivalent models of the time were smaller and more wieldy) as well as having a completely different layout and therefore driving experience not to mention a couple of rear seats so to try and compare those two is a little unfair.
mrclav said:
RobM77 said:
I disagree, it was venerated in its time. It's been one of my dream cars ever since it came out. I have a book on the design and engineering of the Mclaren F1, and they grouped together a bunch of supercars and took objective measures from them all that related to how good they were basically - the NSX trounced the other supercars that they assembled (ok, it didn't trounce all the others in all measures, but it was better, no doubt about that). The NSX remains one of the very best road cars I've ever driven, and the only one from that era - it was almost outside of its own time. The trouble is, the buying public care about image, not technical excellence, and to be honest, the £30k to £40k that a decent example commands now (I haven't checked, they may have gone up since I last looked..) is pretty decent - look at 964RS or 993 values; I know which is the better car... We knew that then as well if you look at road tests, it's just that the public wanted badge and image so they bought Ferraris and Porsches instead.
It may be the better car but the public voted with their feet - in 14 years of production they couldn't even sell 19,000 cars and that's not because it was particularly exclusive or expensive at the time; people just didn't care enough. There have been many examples of things that were quantifiably better (most obvious one being Betamax vs VHS or more recently uncompressed vs compress/lossy audio) but it still doesn't matter to the majority. I wouldn't say that the public's rejection of the NSX as opposed to other marques was purely down to image - a 911 for example is a unique everyday driving proposition (the equivalent models of the time were smaller and more wieldy) as well as having a completely different layout and therefore driving experience not to mention a couple of rear seats so to try and compare those two is a little unfair.
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