Lexus LFA
A top car to drive before you die!
What a car can be when money is no object
No one could accuse Lexus of being over modest! Their description of the LFA as being 'the supreme supercar' shows a degree of confidence, verging on arrogance, when we consider the competition that the car was up against.
However, it must be admitted that they may have a point. Lexus have always specialised in creating luxurious cars for well – heeled customers, but they have long harboured an ambition to break into the market for faster, more high powered cars. They have not rushed with the LFA; a prototype was put through its paces at Nurburgring as far back as 2004, so this machine has had a long gestation period. Typical of Lexus, however, is the attention to detail. They have created a beautifully styled two-door coupe, powered by a 4.8 L V10 engine and every possible attempt seems to have been made to keep the weight down without compromising strength and security.
what is it made of?
For instance; the bodywork itself is composed of a carbon reinforced polymer. Many parts have been crafted from aluminium, including the wheels and suspension, and lavish use has been made of carbon fibre, including components such as the steering wheel.
Other space age additions were carbon ceramic brakes discs, and a rear spoiler, which automatically adjusts according to the speed of the car, in order to keep it firmly anchored to the road and a six speed gearbox with a lightning fast ratio change.
The interior
This is strictly a two seater car, but this fact by itself allows more space and comfort to the driver and a passenger. Whilst the general comfort and finish of the interior is up to the normal Lexus standards, this is not necessarily an easy car to drive, since Lexus have been extremely adventurous with their choice of technology. For example; when using the paddle gear change to select neutral, two panels have to employed at the same time; but when the driver wants to reverse the car it is necessary to press two buttons. These have to be pressed in the right order, otherwise the operation fails!
was it powerful?
Well, the engine apparently produced 553 brake horsepower, sufficient to propel the car from standstill to 60 miles an hour in just over 3 1/2 seconds, with a maximum speed just in excess of 200 mph.
Was it successful?
Economically; probably not. Even at a selling price at around a quarter of a million pounds each, the limited production of 500 cars, which ended in 2012, is not really enough to pay for the very expensive tooling up for a pretty revolutionary car. However, profit was possibly not the only reason why the car was manufactured in the first place. Lexus wanted to be known as more than just a manufacturer of very comfortable cars aimed at company directors, and the LFA certainly put them in the supercar market for a while.
A senior representative of the company, however, has indicated that they have no plans to create another supercar in the foreseeable future; good news for those lucky few who have bought one for investment.