Lexus LF-A Testimonial at Press Event - Have another listen to the roar [Video]

By Thami Masemola
October 12, 2009 9:39 PM
Filed Under: Japanese, Lexus, Supercars

Shortly after a stint on a track behind the wheel, Dutch motoring journalist and race-driving instructor Thomas Bangma has described the upcoming Lexus LF-A as "the best car I've ever driven". Mijnheer Bangma is a highly respected car scribe so there's very little reason to doubt his sincerity. The man has driven basically all modern cars considered supercar royalty. And he says none match up to the LF-A. Some endorsement.

During the clip he mentions how true collectors who know their cars and have machinery like Pagani Zondas, McLaren F1s and Porsche RSs in their garages would do themselves major justice by including the Lexus. He also lets slip that only 500 units will be built but that part was edited out by Lexus. While Bangma talks one LF-A just out of camera view screams down the main straight and then again a second time right on queue as he closes out his thoughts.

The LF-A looks set to be unveiled at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show next week. It's powered by a petrol V10 engine making what's said to be around 405kW (550hp).

Source: carsuk.net

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Tags: Lexus LF-A, LF-A

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Comments

MerHC

October 12, 2009 10:19 PM

Sounds like a Ferrai F40 trick that brought 4X times the numbers of "initially planned" into the real world.

350Zed

October 12, 2009 10:21 PM

I can't wait to hear what the ZR-1 fanboys have to say about this.

autoficianado

October 12, 2009 11:14 PM

...for the price the ZR1 is hard to beat...to bad about those 350Z owners though...

Vision7

October 13, 2009 1:11 AM

That thing sounds simply delicious. I can't wait for a full Top Gear review. With the consistently stellar work of their production crew I'm sure it will be a great review and another fantastic display of cinematic excellence.

catchmyshadow

October 13, 2009 1:39 AM

no doubt that it will sound nice and perform nice, but for that kind of money (250k €) i would pick several other cars over it.

Edited by user on October 13, 2009 at 1:40 AM

brocky

October 13, 2009 1:44 AM

I'm curious about the weight of the car. If it weighs anything close to the GT-R I'm going to be seriously disappointed. They can give me all of the numbers but pork is pork no matter how much protein they say it contains.

Generalull

October 15, 2009 7:47 PM

I read somewhere that it will weight around 1370 kg

v6s_stink

October 13, 2009 6:33 AM

When will Toyota learn that more than performance is required to make it as a truly great sports car. This thing has the emotional appeal of a refrigerator. I'm sure that in modified form it can win the Pike's Peak and a bunch of other events. There are dozens of cars with style and soul that I'd enjoy owning more. All will go faster on public roads than what will allow me to keep my license. About six high end sports car customers will ever race at Pike's Peak. All of them want something gorgeous and desirable, though.

Get_real

October 13, 2009 7:43 AM

what a load of crap. 'the emotional appeal of a refrigerator'... You're full of it. Nobody says you have to say it is a beautiful car but this thing oozes emotion. And then the typical complaint 'it has no soul'. What does that mean? In your case it means exactly the same as 'it's a Toyota'. You're mind was basically set all those years ago when the first word got out Toyota would build something new under the name Laxus. I see only one real problem and that's the price. Nothing basic wrong with anything else.

alex_w115

October 14, 2009 3:09 AM

'emotional appeal of a refridgerator'...? Too bad my fridge doesn't sound this sweet

McNamara68

October 13, 2009 7:58 AM

better than a zonda? better than a McLaren F1? better than a GT3 rs? how much did they pay this guy? there is no way, mark my words.

Wickedated

October 13, 2009 6:39 PM

I agree. Put a Zonda next to an LF-A and lets see how many pick the LF-A's keys over the Zonda's. NONE!

MTC

October 13, 2009 11:31 PM

Exactly what I thought, Toyota must have pay him loads

October 13, 2009 8:10 AM

Maybe it can be as good as Zonda or F1,who knows. But the look is simply not inspiring at all. Looks like the celica, maybe it is design by the same guy.

Edited by user on October 13, 2009 at 8:12 AM

October 13, 2009 8:15 AM

Maybe it can be as good, who knows. But the look is simply not inspiring at all.

nederina

October 13, 2009 8:57 AM

Good car, wrong badge.

dnipete

October 13, 2009 9:35 AM

Oh crap! The usual anti-Toyota/Lexus comments again. Whats new?

justbored

October 13, 2009 11:26 AM

@McNamara86: No problem to be faster than the GT3 RS, 'cause the Nissan GT-R still is faster, even faster than the face lift. Maybe on a twisty and dry track, with semi slicks on both cars, the GT3 RS could be a tenth of a second faster. (I like the GT3 and it's RS version pretty much, but it just cannot compete with the GT-R.) And, as you should know, Lexus doesn't want to sell the LF-A as long as it would be slower than the GT-R. So it will be like LF-A over GT-R over GT3 on most tracks. In terms of the Zonda i'll agree you fully, as long as the LF-A would weigh more than 1.400 kg.

Edited by user on October 13, 2009 at 11:27 AM

nederina

October 13, 2009 11:40 AM

You guys can say anything about GODzilla but it will kick everyone's ass, on the public road, track, wet or dry; price too.

McNamara68

October 14, 2009 12:57 AM

i never said anything about the GT-R, get your facts straight when you respond to a comment. i hugely respect the nissan actually. and another thing, making a car fast doesn't make it great, that is something every true car guy knows. a great car is great becuase it is balanced, the GT3 is one of the 3 or 4 most balanced performance cars in production today.

nederina

October 14, 2009 2:08 PM

The GTR is perfect and costs three times less than the LFA. It's got every good ingredient to be the greatest car to come out from Japan. Let's just accept the fact.

Bristol411S3

October 13, 2009 1:15 PM

Hang on, he didn't say it was better or faster than a GT3 RS or Zonda or what have you. He said people who own such cars in their collection will certainly want to add this. That couldn't be more different to what everyone is now claiming was said.

And what's that nonsense about this not being fast enough or lacking emotion? Seriously, how can you possibly say these things when no one knows the exact power figures or weight and you haven't even read a review yet, let alone driven one!

There are some real bedroom experts on here today. Shouldn't you all be at school?

Edited by user on October 13, 2009 at 1:53 PM

McNamara68

October 14, 2009 1:06 AM

he said it was the best car he's ever driven, he's driven a zonda, a gt3, and an F1, ergo, he thinks the LFA is better than the aforementioned.

Edited by user on October 14, 2009 at 1:06 AM

tootall

October 13, 2009 4:51 PM

@ Brocky. You shouldn't be disappointed really. Considering that this is a V10 and the GT-R is a V6, having the same weight would be a good thing, somewhat.

Edited by user on October 13, 2009 at 4:53 PM

e36mmm

October 13, 2009 6:40 PM

watch this car destroy r35 gtr and zr1 on the nurburgring. it already did a 7.22 as i remember testing on the nurburgring. Its very healthy and wont cop much defeat by other supercars.

jamaicandude

October 13, 2009 10:27 PM

Love the posts attacking this guys opinion... when will some of you learn that opinions are subjective? IN HIS OPINION, the LF-A is the best car he's driven... how can anyone argue that without feeling like a complete idiot? This wasn't a road test, there are no hard numbers to back up which cars are faster or slower (no claim of speed was even made) It's just one man's opinion on the car as a whole. I think trying to refute that without having driven the car yourselves is a perfect example of being a moron.

Edited by user on October 13, 2009 at 10:28 PM

McNamara68

October 14, 2009 1:27 AM

there is nothing wrong with disagreeing with someone's opinion, that's the spirit of a discussion forum. you need to get a hold of yourself mate.

alex_w115

October 14, 2009 3:15 AM

yep mcN & Jamaicandude: Bangma's comments are subjective, but he actually drove all these cars. For now he's the most credible to comment on which is a better ride.

jamaicandude

October 14, 2009 8:18 AM

Don't misunderstand me guys. I'm not saying it's not ok to disagree with someone's opinions. I'm saying it's ridiculous to attack the credibility of his statement with phrases like "how much is Toyota paying this guy" and "Put a Zonda next to an LF-A and lets see how many pick the LF-A's keys over the Zonda's. NONE!"... all this from people who've probably never driven any of the cars in this segment, but they're quick to dismiss and discredit the opinions of someone who has. Alex has got it spot on... McNamara, it sounds like you're the one who needs to get a grip.

McNamara68

October 14, 2009 8:59 PM

by your logic someone could come on here and say that "a 1992 lincoln town car is a better handling and performing car than a mclaren f1" and no sane person should question it. look, most people on here are not badge whores and care simply about the things that make cars great. the reason this car is met with so much skepticism is because for so long lexus has produced pasty, vanilla, drab, uninspiring toyotas with the tinsel of luxury.

your argument doesn't follow; in fact, people refuting opinions without the advantage of complete knowledge and experience goes on all the time in a completely legitimate fashion. by your logic, no one should have questioned the bush administration when they accused saddam of aiding al-qaeda and stockpiling WMD because no one but them was privy to the intelligence.

point is, this sort of thing happens all the time. we all do it when we read a car comparison or road test in a magazine; you, me, everyone. yes, the car hasn't come out and we'll all have to reserve judgment but if we were to follow your advice the only comment on this entire board would be "it's his opinion, to each his own," and that's not very fun or interesting.

Edited by user on October 14, 2009 at 9:14 PM

Shark

October 13, 2009 10:34 PM

Ferrariguy

October 14, 2009 12:44 AM

Hahaha, as usual the Euro Snobs who calls themselves, "enthusiasts," come out of the woodworks and bashing. What else is new, and to the person who said, "good car, wrong badge," WTF?? I didn't know it was the badge that made the car good. What happened to measuring a cars' performance based on what it could do and not where it is being produced?? If some of you are brand whores you are missing out on a lot of GREAT cars from Japan and America.

Shark

October 14, 2009 1:35 AM

I guess for some reason my comment was not posted. Yes impressive and sounds awesome, but this guy has not test driven the up and coming MP4-12 C yet so I truely believe he may change his mind considering McLarens long race history and the race technology they put in their cars like the only chassis that is one piece carbon fibre...etc.

steelerfan2009

October 14, 2009 6:19 AM

i give it this it sounds great!!!