Lexus LF-A: The Long and Winding Road

[Pupik]

I could see it being ~US$150K; the LS 600h is about $100+K, so in terms of a performance leap like that, $200K would be absurd, and $100-120 might be a bit low. Call me a naysayer, but I doubt any US-bound GT-Rs are going for $70-80K. Dealers are probably tacking on a bit extra, unless the line formed mistakenly at the Infiniti dealer.

...Plus, 50 Cent, the only rapper who seems to have any credibility when it comes to cars (other than Jay-Z) has been hooked on the Charger and G8 for some time now...

Of course Jay-Z has good taste in cars, he drove my car in a video and stage performance. He just wasn't making LS 400-type money back then.
Warning: Don't watch for more than ten seconds: Motion sickness may occur.






Unsourced Note #1: Rappers borrow half their cars for videos. It's cheaper and more anonymous that way.

Useless-but-true Note #2: Pete Rock and CL Smooth were the first to put a Lexus (a red SC 400) in a music video.

 

[McLaren]

Rappers?

No. Not even close.

They're so obsessed with G-Bodies and A-Bodies right now that they can't wrap their head around a GT-R. Plus, 50 Cent, the only rapper who seems to have any credibility when it comes to cars (other than Jay-Z) has been hooked on the Charger and G8 for some time now...

50 Cent has absolutely zero credibility. On MTV Cribs, he tried to pass off 3 Ferraris as his own. None of them were his.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

Every 15-25 year old guy around here knows what a Skyline is and wishes they had one. I don't know how you can say that people in States don't know what a GT-R/Skyline is. The same people that only know the name Corvette and viper are the people that most likely wouldn't buy a Corvette or viper. The fact that the GT-R is like pre-sold out goes agaisnt what you're saying.

Seriously? You're using the youngest age group as an example of potential buyers for the GT-R?

I'm talking about people who can afford it. If the person's an enthusiast, yes, they've had to have at least heard of the GT-R by now, but there are plenty of people out there who aren't like us, reading auto-related websites or magazines on a consistent basis (or playing games, heh), who know the standard-bearers of the segment, and that's it. Ask the average 40-something about high performance cars and see if they mention anything Japanese.

It's nearly sold out because the factory is a bottleneck. GT-R production will be a fraction of Vette or even 911 sales. As much as I want it to succeed, it'd be naive to assume it has after a single year's sales figures. Let's see (hope, even) that it continues this for the next few, though 👍.

How did we get to 50 Cent and credibility? Are we in bizarro world?

 

[YSSMAN]

How did we get to 50 Cent and credibility? Are we in bizarro world?

It was my comment that as far as rappers are concerned, they're obsessed with classic American cars or the Chrysler LX/GM Zeta cars. And to expand upon that, I stated that 50 Cent is the only rapper (as far as I can tell) who has a credible taste in otherwise "good" automobiles. Everyone else just buys a Lamborghini because they can, not because they like it... Much less even able to drive it.

 

[niky]

Rappers are obsessed with "cool" cars. Anything fast, expensive, etcetera.

While a lot of them go the lowrider route, a lot of them own (or pretend to own) Ferraris, Lambos, or the "exotic of the moment".

To build street cred, you gotta have the wheels, playa.

 

[Jim Prower]

It's all about the "Lux-ree," really. That's why '70s and '80s "Personal Luxury Coupes" are being bought up by scores by those in less fortunate neighborhoods, and getting slapped with wheels bought with money that will never show up on an IRS tax return...

But how'd we got on this when the subject is supposed to be the LF-A?

 

[niky]

Uhh... a discussion on what "Americans" like in cars, the contention that no Americans are in the market for an expensive Japanese sports car like the LF-A, with the GT-R put as an example... (well, demographically speaking, it's only the middle-class baby boomers who would rather go domestic... younger car buyers are biased for Oriental models), which led on a tangent about credibility, rappers and... heck... I don't know why we're here...

 

[SagarisGTB]

I think they should just call it the Lexus Sexus.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nkWJs6gqYWw

 

[McLaren]

I think they should just call it the Lexus Sexus.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nkWJs6gqYWw

Sexus? I can only imagine the conversation that could come with that name.

 

[Bram Turismo]

It does look fantastic though...

However, stats over at YouTube say that in that 4-hour race, it came home 77th, with a best time of 9:06...


Just testing? Some YouTube crap? Bullocks? Hmmm... I just want to see it on the roads!

 

[McLaren]

It does look fantastic though...

However, stats over at YouTube say that in that 4-hour race, it came home 77th, with a best time of 9:06...


Just testing? Some YouTube crap? Bullocks? Hmmm... I just want to see it on the roads!

On YouTube, everything is pure BS unless you know for a fact it's right.

 

[niky]

It does look fantastic though...

However, stats over at YouTube say that in that 4-hour race, it came home 77th, with a best time of 9:06...


Just testing? Some YouTube crap? Bullocks? Hmmm... I just want to see it on the roads!

Hmmm... that 9 minutes would include the GP course? that's not half-bad. On racing tires, though? Or street tires?

 

[exigeracer]

Anyone think this car would already be out if it weren't for the GT-R completely surpassing expectations? I think that this one was ready for the road but pulled in fear of being eclipsed by the Nissan's undoubtable prowess.

 

[Bram Turismo]

Anyone think this car would already be out if it weren't for the GT-R completely surpassing expectations? I think that this one was ready for the road but pulled in fear of being eclipsed by the Nissan's undoubtable prowess.

What's with all the GT-R fuzz?

Even though it laps only the 'Ring so fast, I still think it's overrated. I mean, I'm not talking about everyone right now, but most of these guys only see the 'Ring lap time, and they'll go: "Skyline 4-EVAR...like...totally!...dude!"

Bah, I think the GT-R still is one of the most ugliest things at the moment, I don't care how fast it is, I'd have the LF-A over the GT-R in a heartbeat, even if it is only for the more power, sound, and more lovely looks, and even it if is more expensive and looses on the 'Ring. But hell, screw the 'Ring!

 

[exigeracer]

Bah, I think the GT-R still is one of the most ugliest things at the moment, I don't care how fast it is, I'd have the LF-A over the GT-R in a heartbeat, even if it is only for the more power, sound, and more lovely looks, and even it if is more expensive and looses on the 'Ring. But hell, screw the 'Ring!

Uhh I didn't say anything about laptimes at some rundown cobblestone trail in Bavaria.

Have you opened any news publication in the last 3 months? The GT-R dominates. It took even the journalists who were expecting to hate it by surprise. Ignore the fanboyism and hype - it is a benchmark car, and Toyota knows it.

 

[exigeracer]

Looks everyone is claiming fast Ring times, this one another record-breaking time of 7:25. Let the bickering begin...

According to Auto Express and Japanese car magazine Holiday Auto, Lexus insiders have revealed that the upcoming 552 bhp Lexus LF-A sports car has lapped the Nurburgring in 7 minutes and 24 seconds, slashing the current record time of 7 minutes and 27 seconds set by the Pagani Zonda F. Despite conflicting claims regarding the lap times of the all-new Porsche 911 GT2 (7:32 AutoBild, 7:25 AutoExpress), one thing appears to be clear; the Lexus LF-A has raised the bar to a new level.

While the German Nurburgring has always been the benchmark for measuring the performance of a sports car, Porsche and other European sports car manufacturers are starting to feel the heat of Japanese manufacturers, particularly from Nissan and Lexus, who are currently going head-to-head with their GT-R and LF-A sports cars. In September, the Nissan GT-R lapped the Nurburgring in 7 minutes and 38 seconds, narrowly beating the time of the Porsche 997 GT3. Even Honda is reportedly working on a 5.0-litre V10 powered NSX.

Sources say that the Nurburgring test mule was powered by a 4.8-litre V10 engine putting out 552 bhp, capable of reaching 210 mph. We can't wait to hear the official announcement on the final specifications of this car. What are your thoughts? While the Nissan GT-R may not stack up against its German archrivals in terms of interior build quality, do you think the Lexus will?

http://www.worldcarfans.com/9071228.015/lexus-lf-a-sets-ring-record

Additionally, it has been racing pretty quick in W2W racing.

Lexus LF-A won its first race in Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy at Nurburgring
The Lexus LF-A won the SP8 class of the Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy race at Nurburgring. The Lexus LF-A finished 2 laps ahead of the Chevrolet Corvette which was entered by Kissling Motorsport and 8 laps ahead of the Aston Martin Vantage that finished third.

http://www.autospies.com/news/Lexus...DAC-Rundstrecken-Trophy-at-Nurburgring-29810/

Interesting to see that they still don't use either Toyota or Lexus logo anywhere on the car or in the pits.



Flame!

 

[YSSMAN]

Not much to flame here... Its an absolutely stellar run for a prototype car that's still at least a year from production. If I have a niggle its that these 'Ring times are with what is clearly a non-production-spec LF-A... That is, without the 7.5 dead cows inside, all of the gizmos and gadgets, and apparently without a reverse gear. Hmmm....

BTW:

Have we managed to figure out if this is some kind of twin-clutch gearbox or is it using the 8-speed unit from the LS/IS-F?

 

[McLaren]

The thing about it is, is that AutoExpress and that magazine's sources are from bystanders at the 'Ring. WorldCarFans is just another site whose repeating what we've already heard.

 

[YSSMAN]

Tokyo, We Have A Problem...

The writing has been on the wall for some time. Although the Lexus flagship graduated from "concept" to "prototype" when it campaigned in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, Toyota has refused to even hint at a production date for the V10 supercar. Then Toyota declined to plonk an LF-A silhouette on their Super GT racer, electing to continue with the doomed SC 430 jello mold.

Then news broke that production cars would cost a whopping $225,000, but the LF-A still wouldn't turn a profit. Needless to say, Toyota doesn't like things that are not profitable.

Finally, members of the testing and development crew who have been putting the car though its paces in Germany, as well as test drivers from rival Honda and Nissan crews, have told Autoblog that the LF-A is not destined for the showroom, and will remain only a development platform.

No reasons were given, but we can think of a couple. How many people are willing to part with nigh on a quarter of a million bucks for a Toyota/Lexus? Also, the world's most prolific car maker may not be willing to join the current Nurburgring pissing contest unless it is 100% sure that they can beat the Viper, ZR-1 and perhaps more importantly, the GT-R and upcoming NSX replacement.

Actually, one 'Ring test driver didn't mind going on the record with his opinion. Former Nissan racer, NSX development driver and Nurburgring legend Motoharu "Gan-san" Kurosawa reckons, "Toyota are good at making money, but they're no good at making sports cars."

Well, that is an unexpected turn if it is anywhere close to being true. While it may just be a development testbed, where may I ask, are we going to see the fruits of Toyota's labor? I mean, we've been waiting on this car for years, they've given us multiple concepts and prototypes, and it has been a proven car on the track as well. I'll leave out the description of what this would be the automotive equivalent of, but I mean c'mon, really Toyota?

 

[Philly]

Somehow I'm not too surprised. They've been working on it for ever and we still hadn't seen anything come of it. Perpetual concept it is then, I guess.

I'm wondering the same though. They've put tons of money into it. And they are using it as a testbed. But for what? Toyota doesn't really have any cars that could use the technology from the LF-A.

Oh, and are we going to see what it would have looked like if it was destined for the roads?

 

[Omnis]

Lol @ Gan-san. He's right. Big ups to Toyota.

 

[Philly]

They used to be good at making sports cars...

 

[YSSMAN]

Yup.

...which reminds me...

The Supra revival has been shelved due to high mpg requirements, allowing Toyota to focus on its RWD coupe, jointly developed by Subaru.

That, I assume, was the only car of theirs that would have benefited from the LF-A development program.

 

[Leonidae]

I just read about this. And I agree, only mentally deranged people would pay over 200k for a Lexus..

 

[Philly]

I would bet the LS can run you over $130k. That's a lot for a Toyota.

 

[Alex.]

Over here it fetches £90K. Good luck.

 

[Jim Prower]

Eh...most I can get on Lexus's car configurator is $121,145 for the LS600h, and that's with a special-order option package and Delivery to Central Illinois. However, I might be able to add an extra $10,000 with the available Accessories. Those aren't counted into the Configurator's price.

That's still a lot for a Toyota. Especially The Great Pretender.

 

[MustangSVT]

For that sort of money, I'd rather look at something like the Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24 or whatever it's called. I recall reading in an issue of Sports Car International not too long ago that a V8 Vantage N24 (or maybe it was DBRS9? im not 100% sure) finished first or second in its class at Nurburgring 24hr race. That's a pretty good achievement if you ask me.

 

[exigeracer]

I mean, we've been waiting on this car for years, they've given us multiple concepts and prototypes, and it has been a proven car on the track as well. I'll leave out the description of what this would be the automotive equivalent of, but I mean c'mon, really Toyota?

How has it been a proven car on the track? Because there's a video of it on a track? Because it finished 134th overall at the 24h? Absolutely nothing suggests that this car is any good at sport driving.

 

[YSSMAN]

As I recall, didn't it get hit by another car? Previous to that, it seemed like it was doing well for a pre-production prototype.