After years of underwhelming product, a world-beating supercar was on the agenda, although the car Toyota ended up with was likely vastly different to the car Mr Toyoda initially imagined. But the reality is that away from contemporary rivals, the LFA has more than proved its worthiness. After five years of development, the initial LF-A concept was aesthetically close to the eventual production car, sharing the same surfacing quality and overall silhouette.
To negate the weight gain, the already five-year initial development period was pushed further, when Toyota decided to instead construct the car entirely from carbonfibre. To coincide with the change of building method, Lexus launched another concept in , again called LF-A, but this time with more dramatic styling and now publicly confirming a future production version. Thanks to its long-winded development and expensive carbonfibre construction, the LFA road car now without the hyphen was still a loss maker for Toyota despite its huge price tag.
The LFA was not universally praised on its release either, with many writing it off as an expensive irrelevance thanks to its relative performance disadvantage compared to cheaper mass production rivals.
But, if judgement was to be made on how a car produced its power, the LFA is a complete masterclass of internal combustion. Built from an aluminium, magnesium and titanium alloy, Toyota boasted that the cc V10 was smaller than a traditional V8 and the same weight as a V6. Peak power was rated at bhp at a head spinning rpm, while peak torque was ft lb at rpm. It was so intricately engineered that it was able to rev between idle and its rpm redline so quickly a traditional tachometer needle was not able to keep up.
To achieve a near perfect weight distribution, the LFA used a transaxle layout, with its gearbox mounted at the rear and connected to the engine via a rigid torque tube. Curiously, Lexus also placed the exhaust system in the same transmission tunnel to bring the driver and passenger further inboard.
Unable to match the response or driveability of gearboxes in cheaper rivals, the main issue was that by the time the LFA reached the showroom floor Ferrari was already integrating vastly superior dual-clutch gearboxes into its line up — as were Audi and Mercedes-Benz.
The opportunity for Toyota to create a bespoke chassis for the LFA meant there was very little mechanical compromise to be deal with. As a result, Lexus decided there was no need for adaptive dampers, instead utilising coil-over dampers attached to front double wishbone suspension and a multilink rear axle. The brakes are relatively standard six-piston Brembo monoblock calipers up-front and four-piston on the rear, gripping carbon ceramic discs, but the setup had incredible stopping power.
Well, the fruits of Lexus' labor have finally borne fruit: a new Lexus LFA is coming, and yes, it's got a bloody great V10 in the middle! Sadly, all we're getting to perve over at the moment is one shadowy image, but the silhouette is plain to see. Lexus appears to be combining the best of the original LFA its shape, layout, and engine with the best of modern technology, fitting it with LED headlights that fall in line with the current design language, although the latter won't have been too tricky a task considering the remarkable overuse of referencing the LFA in every press release of every car the company unveils, particularly the recent RC F.
We also see the trendy fad of putting an illuminated badge in the front grille, something that could prove concerning when regulators have a look at it. Okay, we've teased you for long enough. Onto the V10 engine.
Lexus has learned that a drawn-out development cycle is very expensive, so instead of developing an all-new engine, the one fitted here is an evolution of that found in the original, bored out to 5. That illuminating badge provides a clue as to the sad but necessary inclusion of a pair of electric motors on the front axle.
Nevertheless, the results should convince you that it was the right choice: instead of horsepower and lb-ft of torque, you now get a whopping hp and lb-ft of torque. Look out for more details leading up to the launch on April 1, It's been a long wait. Marshall Goldman Motor Sales. Consider this when you think of Lexus LFA price: Despite all of Japan's ingenuity and advanced thinking with regard to automotive engineering, and despite the country's automakers building many sports cars through the decades, few of those models are genuinely considered "supercars.
Sure, there was the Toyota GT of the s, with its curvaceous body and highly tuned straight-six engine. Then there was the failed Dome project of the s, and by the late s Honda and its U. There were also plenty of JDM-only rally homologation specials with wicked turbocharged engines and complex all-wheel-drive systems, and of course, the Nissan GT-R. But buyers rarely cross-shopped these cars with true top-tier exotics.
In the end, the car with sensational styling, visceral performance, and a raw, unfiltered driving experience came from perhaps one of the least likely brands to tackle such a project. In terms of Lexus LFA history, the coupe spent nearly a decade in development before the production version launched in No matter, all you had to do was drive an LFA to understand the magic behind the car and to feel just a tinge of jealousy; fewer than people globally would be lucky enough to buy one new.
If you weren't one of those people and the dream still lingers, you'll want to hear what Sterling Sackey has to say about LFAs. Sackey is a Southern California-based specialty car broker who specializes in the Lexus LFA, even hosting a registry and an owners' group to support the model. We asked him about Lexus LFA price and today's LFA market, why the car is so special yet misunderstood, and what you need to know if your dream is to put Japan's most coveted supercar in your garage.
Lexus LFA history tells the story of a car that took a long time to come to market, and to this day it's a somewhat misunderstood supercar. What are its key virtues? Sterling Sackey: I would call it the most misunderstood supercar, at least of the 21st century so far.
There are a few key virtues that, having studied the car over the years, really stand out to me. The incredible development story is the first thing that comes to mind in terms of Lexus LFA history. The LFA project started in the year , when Akio Toyoda [now Toyota president] was promoted to a board of directors position at the company his grandfather started. Knowing Toyoda was an ardent enthusiast of sports cars and racing, two men approached him with the idea of building a supercar.
0コメント