Tuesday 30th March 2010

Lexus Unveils Nurburgring Package For LFA Supercar

V10 supercar gets series of track day tweaks

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It might seem like mere moments since Lexus launched the LFA supercar, but already a special edition is being wheeled out.

Created to celebrate the LFA’s attack on the 2010 Nurburgring 24 hours, the LFA Nurburgring package gets a range of tweaks aimed at maximising the car’s track potential.

These include a series of modifications to the car’s aero package, including a fixed rear wing and small ‘fins’ on the sides of the nose and a larger front spoiler.

Despite the extra drag created by the new wings, the car’s 3.7secs 0-62mph time and 202mph top speed remains unchanged, thanks to a power boost of 10bhp for the 4.8-litre V10 (up to 562bhp) and the gearshift time having been cut to just 0.15secs.

The suspension has also been tweaked and the Nurburgring package brings mesh-type wheels wrapped in grippier tyres.

Customers will also be able to take advantage of individual driving instruction on the Nordschleife from the Nurburgring’s chief instructors. They will also receive a one-year driving pass to the track (the customers, not the instructors…).

Lexus will sell 50 LFA Nurburgring packages as part of the strictly limited global production run of 500 examples.

[bernhund]

I'll have a GTR. Thank you.

[vz-r_dave]

I'll have a limited edition run, a year off work and a couple of thousand laps around the ring thank you.

People who can afford this probably care very little about the GTR.

[whythem]

At £340k odd, I just dont see the attraction of this car, who's going to buy it,

[Daston]

whythem said:

At £340k odd, I just dont see the attraction of this car, who's going to buy it,

Same can be said for a lot of very expensive cars. People will always buy it because to some people £320k will be made back within the hour

[barefoot]

Well said Daston. There are people with lots of money in layman terms and then there are truly rich people. A friend of mine won £10.9 million in the lottery (Karl Crompton) which to most of us makes him a very wealthy guy who can afford a car like this but would most prob buy a Porsche/Ferrari and has done. Then there are the super rich guys whose yachts costs $103 million! There are a lot of people out there where £340k is the same as £340 is to a normal person, I know it beggars belief but to a lot of people money truly is no object.

[16bit]

its a fantastic car when you take away the price. however...

if you want exclusivity and engineering you could have a zonda which will go down in history as one of the greats.

if you want a track special there are so many better options out there.

this really is a car to have if you already have everything else.

this is a third supercar to me (which probably means you have 8 or so other cars) - nice but makes no sense.

[teen_cerbera]

Limited to 500? Will they even sell 500 normal ones?

I understand all this about there being Super Rich out there, but if im spending £300k on a hypercar, regardless of how rich I was, id want one that totally blows my socks off everytime I see it.

Personally, if this car was £110k, my money would still go on an Audi R8 V10 or Porsche 997TT. In every price band upwards, there is a car id choose over this.

Yes You can say theres people who would already have the lot, but personally, my car collection would have to be 100+ cars before id consider this regardless of cost.

Just so unappealing....

[BUG4LIFE]

I'm surprised by the amount of negative comments this car gets, I mean look what Lexus have built for god sake! It's got a 550bhp+ V10 and revs to god knows what, and although it doesn't look as good as the concept [which looked like sometime from the year 3000], it's still pretty mental - the back end is just pure evil! For me, price doesn't come in to it - it can be £100k or £340k, I still can't afford one

[sprinter1050]

Is that bonnet supposed to look slightly open ?

I bet that will knock a couple of mph off the top end

[Speed_Demon]

Christ that's good looking.

[wildman0609]

sprinter1050 said:

Is that bonnet supposed to look slightly open ?

I bet that will knock a couple of mph off the top end

its part of he cold air intake.

if i had the money (which i don't) i would consider it. zonda's look crap, ferrari's are boring, the only other car out there with an engine which rev's as impressively is the carrera gt's.
i recon people will buy it because it exclusive. they built more enzo's for fk sake.

[marcosgt]

BUG4LIFE said:

I'm surprised by the amount of negative comments this car gets, I mean look what Lexus have built for god sake! It's got a 550bhp+ V10 and revs to god knows what, and although it doesn't look as good as the concept [which looked like sometime from the year 3000], it's still pretty mental - the back end is just pure evil! For me, price doesn't come in to it - it can be £100k or £340k, I still can't afford one

Or look at it another way, a good (maybe great engine) in something that looks like an updated Celica (Be honest, only the willfully blind can't see any similarity) for £340,000.

If I'd just scooped the Euro-Lottery jackpot, I wouldn't be off to my Lexus dealer to look at one... (well, I might, just to have a go, but )

M.

[JumpinJack]

marcosgt said:

BUG4LIFE said:

I'm surprised by the amount of negative comments this car gets, I mean look what Lexus have built for god sake! It's got a 550bhp+ V10 and revs to god knows what, and although it doesn't look as good as the concept [which looked like sometime from the year 3000], it's still pretty mental - the back end is just pure evil! For me, price doesn't come in to it - it can be £100k or £340k, I still can't afford one

Or look at it another way, a good (maybe great engine) in something that looks like an updated Celica (Be honest, only the willfully blind can't see any similarity) for £340,000.

If I'd just scooped the Euro-Lottery jackpot, I wouldn't be off to my Lexus dealer to look at one... (well, I might, just to have a go, but )

M.

+1

The most distinctive thing I rememember about this car when Hammond had it Top Gear, were the digital dials, which were pretty damn cool to be fair. But as for parting with £340,000, even as a lottery winner.... I'd choose an SLR every time.

[dazsmith69]

one of the most anticipated and underwelming cars of modern times.

its bland and uninspiring, if only they had kept to their original concept.

A tuned EVO is quicker.

[Mini1275]

bernhund said:

I'll have a GTR. Thank you.

And a RR, and a Gallardo and a holiday and money left over.

[dandarez]

Obviously aimed like a missile directly at those with more money than sense, and there probably are 500 of them out there.

It's not that it's a bad car, it's just what car you could have instead, and in many cases you could have more than one!

[vintageracer01]

dazsmith69 said:

one of the most anticipated and underwelming cars of modern times.

its bland and uninspiring, if only they had kept to their original concept.

A tuned EVO is quicker.

YUP!

This car is soooooooo ugly. It is an answer to a question nobody asked.

I wonder whether they find 500 people who actually have no better idea to spend their dosh on.

[ArtVandelay]

If I were to win some silly money on the lottery, this would be on my list. I've never seen a Lexus supercar before but I have seen plenty of Porsches, Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Aston Martins. I know in terms of price it is closer to Pagani Zondas but this car is something completely different, with the screaming engine up front and a quirkiness only the Japanese have.

I think Toyota should be applauded for doing something different and taking a risk, it's about time they released something mental. Now they just need to apply everything they've learnt from this and make a 911/V8 Vantage rival

[marcosgt]

ArtVandelay said:

If I were to win some silly money on the lottery, this would be on my list. I've never seen a Lexus supercar before but I have seen plenty of Porsches, Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Aston Martins. I know in terms of price it is closer to Pagani Zondas but this car is something completely different, with the screaming engine up front and a quirkiness only the Japanese have.

I think Toyota should be applauded for doing something different and taking a risk, it's about time they released something mental. Now they just need to apply everything they've learnt from this and make a 911/V8 Vantage rival

You see that's where I think they went totally wrong - It's not quirky or different at all...

It's not the Mazda Furai or that crazy Yamaha OX99-11 - They're quirky, this isn't... It's a front engined GT that looks far too much like their old £25K car, wow...

Anyway, enough said, I think - Most think this is a waste of money, a few like it

M.

Edited by marcosgt on Tuesday 30th March 10:40

[Gizmo!]

I wonder if the Nurburgring's owners get a slice every time some lazy car company's marketing department decides to use the place as a proxy for saying "it's really good and really fast".

The M5 3.8's Nurburgring suspension package was fine, but how many cars now are sold essentially on their Ring time and sod everything else? Renaultsport R26R, Nissan GTR, Cadillac saloon thingy...