Lexus LF-A Sets 'Ring Record
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?
Whats all this about lacking passion or boring? Good to see that the japanese manfacturers are not just power obessed and simply extracting more performance by just slotting in ever bigger and more powerful engines. Sure they may not have the badge or history but they'll be a lot more affordable, I can't see anything wrong with that.
UNFORTUNATELY THE STYLING LOOKS BORING TO ME TOO... IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE NUMBERS, HANDLING AND POWER AT A HIGH COST (US$ 120-250,000)? ANY CAR COMPANY CAN DO THAT... HOW ABOUT SOME PASSION?? SEE FERARI, BMW, AUDI, HONDA, NISSAN MAZDA... HELL, EVEN CHEVY CORVETTE OR FORD GT... COME ON TOYOTA/ LEXUS.. YOU HAVE MORE POTENTIAL THAN THIS...
whats more annoying than your comments, is your caps lock typing!
OK, we are talking about speed, and that thing is fast. maybe you should try reading the article.
well,
lets see the real cars figures and then judge. BMW pushed X5 V12 test mule around the ring in 7.49 a couple years ago, whats it worth? True, the L cars seem to lack passion and fascination. c'mon which boy has a poster of a lexus above his bed ? - long way to go toyota
Your right, Lexus(Toyota) is and always will just be a glorified Toyota no matter what they do. And theres nothing cool about a Toyota.
Apart from my previous comment, I do think this car is an exception to the rest of the brand, but I think that the picture is just a concept car, not production, so it might not look as interesting as this unfortunately. The headlights look great I think.
NIKKOP, I bet that you understand nothing about cars!! LF-A's design is BORING?!?!?!?! THIS IS SIMPLY THE "MOST" futuristic design in automotive history.. ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT, ABSOLUTELY STUNNING.. Define passion in cars??? I bet you cant..
THE MOST STUNNING IN HISTORY? Sorry, but couldn't be further fro the truth. I'm not the only one who thinks so either - even as a subjective viewpoint I find it hard to take that claim seriously - I don't hear too many people going crazy over the LF-S or LF-A or whatever the hell it's called. Futuristic is easy to do - futuristic with class is something entirely different.
THANK YOU NitrousOxide for that comment, at least someone here appreciates that this is one beautiful car, personally i think that this is one of THE most beautiful cars i have ever seen. and in terms of price and other cars in its class and such, i would take this over similarly priced porsche or ferrari.
You'd take this over a similarly priced Porsche? WTF? Seriously?
i'm just glad this car is faster than the hideous looking gt-r and finally the japs get to bury the push-rod retarded pride of american corvette.
There's no need to insult people - I'm not a fan of pushrods or a huge fan of the Corvette either, but the "Japs" aren't burying anything here. Lap times come and go, but to me this car's already forgotten. Besides, the rear of the GT-R is actually quite pretty, if you don't mind me saying so....
Nothing wrong with push-rod motors, if you build them properly they are just as good as any other engine. And what american pride is there to bury? They were never the fastest, or most reliable, or best looking. Their entire marketting plan is based on "hey we arent as fast as a porsche but we also dont cost as much" well if you ask me that is just retarded, if you compare speed vs. price a 1972 Dacia wins, you can find one for 100$ which is what a tank of gas will cost you in the vette. They have no pride which is shown by their retarded comparisons to Murcielagos, F430 and porsche Gt2s.
c'mon, absolutely stunning? its a beautifully shaped car but the front does it slight injustice. rear gearbox and radiator, very clever like the lister storm. well done.
Haha, very funny thread. The car isn't even out yet and people are already making comments, like " this car is already forgotten." How do you do?
Sorry to burst the bubble, but look around you.... This thing's no Lambo or Porsche or Ferrari - hell, I'd buy an M5 over this any day.... It's a concept that's supposed to excite the crap out of everyone and it's failing miserably. It gets all the reaction that another Toyota on steroids wearing (too much) make-up would get. Sure, it's more exciting than a Celica in drag with a massive turbo pushing 360HP, but at the end of the day, I find it extremely hard to give a shit, and if I'd been the only one, I wouldn't bother mentioning it either....
Thats right Ferrariguy.. Im with you.. Even though the numbers are the only things present, I personally think that this will be one of "the best" cars in the decade.. 552 bhp and beaten the Pagani Zonda F!!! that is a seriously shocking fact.. And for those who are still critisizing me when I said "stunning, or one of the best", I reapeat it again, and add to it that this might be the best designed car in the history.. And no other futuristic car can come even close to it...
All of you should know that lap times are completely irrelevant in the real world. If you set up a car such that it can perform best around a lap, it'll break your back every time you drive it to work. I can only assume that the LF-A is looking to emulate the new kid on the block, the R8 - that is, every day supercar. As it happens, I drive an Audi (not an R8 but hey) and even I would struggle to find myself not wanting a set of Porsche keys (as opposed to Audi keys) in my pocket. The same goes for the Lexus. And Nissan. And Honda. Your cars may be faster than an 911 Turbo, but who realistically sees someone stepping from 911 Turbo to Nissan GT-R or Lexus LF-A? I certainly don't.
I agree with some however, I don't certainly see anyone driving any of these cars to work...the price range we are talking about is mostly for "fun" cars. Many will prefer their Lexus LS's and Audi A8 to go to work. If this is your daily driver i don't get it, you racin everyone at every stop light. Porsche has name and shape, Audi R8 has head turning design with performance, This has well maybe design & #s that no one will ever know unless your a car person. Sorry an R8 and Porsche are still gonna feel as fast on daily roads but they have presence
And Lexus over a Pagani Zonda? Don't make me laugh...
sub39h, will you drive a pagani zonda to work? I personally find the LF-A is a perfect compromise between pure performance and luxury. Its design is simply astonishing; whether you like it or not, which is a personal matter, denying this is the most refined and contemporary design found in production sports cars today denotes lack of discerment. I've always been a 911 fan, but if Lexus decided to fit a manual box in it, the LF-A would become the perfect every day supercar.
Why wouldn't you drive a pagani zonda to work? It has fully adjustable dampers and springrate, It has A/C, Heat, MP3 radio. If you want you can set it up as a daily driver, and then set it up for the track when you go. And because of the pure simplicity of the car and the fact it has one of the best engines in the world i will put money on the zonda that it will be more reliable than this Lexus with 50 million electronics and a brand new engine never used before.
You must be kidding me, I mean, who other than some immature teenage boyracer craving for attention would consider driving a Pagani Zonda around town daily instead of a Lexus LF. It's not about harsh ride, it's about mere logic (manoeuvreability, visibility, fuel efficiency) all the while driving a magnificent vehicle. About reliability, as long as it bears the Lexus bagde you can be sure it won't let you down, except very rare exceptions. Finally, it has the merit of not borrowing parts from other manufacturers.
Honestly if you can afford a Pagani Zonda the Ozone and opening ur wallet at the gas station are the last things on your mind. A zonda or veyron is the same as a porsche just on another level of welth. There are people in russia that use a veyron or carrera GT to get groceries, simply because they dont care they can afford to buy a new one everytime it gets a little dirty. Lets face it nobody spends their entire bank account on these supercars they have enough $ to back them up and dont have to think about babying them like me and you do, to them its just another corola, that just gets them more attention from hoes.
The Zonda is a more beautiful car than the LF-A can ever aspire to be. Not to mention the interior, and that Italian passion. I'd put $100 down that the interior of the LF-A will be nice, but not gorgeous, awe-inspiring, and will be very plasticy. Like all Lexus'. Also, 95% of the reviews I've seen on the Zonda have said that it's the Anti-Supercar. It's very easy to drive, and go around town in. If I had the money, I'd pick the Zonda over the LF-A 364 days out of the year. Why not 365? B/c I live off of variety...
I could care less about what a pack of new rich automobile illiterate mobsters in Russia do. They couldn't tell the difference between FWD, RWD or AWD until they totalled the car past the first bend. I've also heard they use jets to fly to the mall, and they probably molest kids from foster care. Being rich doesn't necessarily mean being vulgar and absurd, but having the ability, sensitivity and wisdom to appreciate what you've got.
NauAudiS4, have you ever visited a Lexus dealer recently? Obviously not. My brother owns an LS 600h and it's fully loaded with semi-aniline leather (one of the finest qualities available), including dashboard and doors, alcantara roof lining, and same goes for the LF-A, which is supposed to look like a futuristic Ferrari's cockpit. And the Pagani costs more than twice its price.
I have not been to a Lexus Dealer, but I have been to several car shows recently, and have sat in the LS600, IS350, SC430, etc. The interiors are far from inspiring. I felt that if the car sat in the sun for a couple hours here were I live (gets up to 110f in the summer) all the plastic, and plastic looking wood would crack. Not to mention I was fairly cramped in the LS driver's seat. Don't get me wrong, I think Lexus' exterior design is starting to get very modern and classy, but the interiors are still for old people. This might be b/c I'm so used to Audi's interior's, and we all know Audi has some of the best, if not the best, interiors for cars in this class. Lexus is getting good at this game, but the Germans have been doing it for years, and thus they know how to do it right.
You "felt" it would, but it's mere subjectivity and prejudice, especially regarding their latest models, and I don't know what you mean by plastic looking wood, at least the GS/LS/SC ranges use only high quality genuine wood. I won't be the one dissing german brands: grew up surrounded by many generations of S-Class Mercs, 3-series Bimmers, great number of VW and Audi, and I've owned two 911's (my fetiche car), and have pre-ordered a TT-S. It's true that the LS's interior design is somewhat dull and there are a few disappointing details (chromed plastic door handles in and out, fake vortex design wheels, average leather quality [and scent] in cheaper versions), but this could be somehow justified regarding the average age of potential buyers in this premium segment (in Europe I've heard it's around 56 y.o.) and considering the car is fairly priced compared to its german counterparts. About feeling cramped behind the wheel, it's just a trick in the sense that the wheel stays up and horizontal (easy entry system) until you startup the engine and the bottom seat is longitudinally adjustable and usually set in the shortest position by default so, unless you're a shortie, it's going to feel awkward. It doesn't match the S-Class' amazing contour "armchairs" though. I could travel hundreds of miles non-stop in those and feel better than when I left.
LF-A sets ring record? For what? Production cars? This is NOT a production car. So if we are putting it up against other one offs then this scores nowhere - there are a hundred cars that could beat this time.
Who cares? Every carmaker can produce fast cars, only production versions you can compete with eachother. For example Mercedes set a record for Diesel-cars with 404km/h in 1971, in a testmule.
It's supposed to be a pre-launch car with dealer specs. It's not Toyota's style to brag about a few tenths of a second more or less with a modified car. They have the means to beat Nissan and Pagani, and even Porsche for awhile, and they'll do it.
Who told you people that this car is not a production car?!?!?! This car was supposed to be available in the market during 2008, but toyota cancelled the plan, and you know why??? because the car was reaching around 300 kph, while the plan was to get it over 340, so it took it back to the designers, and asked them to re-design some of its aerodynamics(So as HONDA, redesign for Aerodynamics). MOREOVER, no one can talk about how civilized Lexus cars are, I personally think they are the most comfortable cars ever; Even though this car has broken the timing in the Nurburgring, which means that the car is very hard for the sake of handling, Im still sure that the cars interior is as comfy as no other car is.... If you will judge the car due to its origin, you will never like it, as u people think that its only for your Euro-American heroes, while if you will judge it for its abilities and specs, this car will knock off many of its greatest rivals.. Believe it or not, like it or not, The japanese will torture every European carmaker within 2 years only. Nissan GTR took on the 911 Turbo, Honda NSX is coming with a V10 over 500 hp(with all the superiority of the previous model,it was a V6 and 280 hp), and Finally, Lexus has "ALREADY" beaten the ZONDA F.. GUESS WHAT PEOPLE.. It will ALL be for Japanese..
The new NSX will be nothing like the old one, the old 1 had a single purpose to go fast around a track and to be as light as possible, the new 1 will be full of electronics and gadjets that will weigh it down, and the weight of the new engine, i wouldnt be surprised if the new1 has the same power/weight ratio as the old 1. And you have to remember one thing this car that went around the track wasnt production spec, interior was probably empty just a driver's racing seat. Also it doesnt say if it was a standing start or flying. Same with the GT-R it was a flying start that it got it's lap time. Even if this car beats a Veyron who cares? At the end of the day it's still a 120,000$ car that there will be 20,000 other ppl with it. Nobody is going to stop in traffic to look at you and take photos. For the record there are much faster cars around the Nurburing, donkervoort, ariel atom, Super 7s and all are production cars and this is not, and not to mention they are half the price.
Interior probably empty?? lol Frankly, I hope you have solid arguments backing up those farfetched assumptions. In the mean time, Ariel Atom, Super7s, etc. have nothing to do with the kind of cars we're dealing with (high performance GT's) hence not comparable. And if your main aim is to have ppl stopping in traffic to take photos, a $500 purple buggy and a Ronald McDonald suit will do ;)
Check out the new Donkervoort GT, the previous model lap time was 7:14, this one is expected to be even quicker with 60hp more and only 44lb weight increase. I think this car is absolutelly stunning.
http://www.casanovacars.com/others/donkervoort_d8_gt.php
If it's just about having fun on a Sunday evening ask these spaniards http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=aH7lmQMEEy4&feature=related
Radmeister, you dont even know how to compare cars!! Why will we even explain for you.. Theres nothing fast as this car when compared to it size, overall weight(which effects the handling), and mainly, keeping in mind that this car is a GT(as ck314 mentioned). Do u realy know the difference between ur couple of kilos cars and a normal GT?!?!?!?.. Secondly, why dont you go and eatch Honda how to make engines??? Tell them that you have to fit smaller engine to make the car light, as well as to get rid of the luxurious stuff to make this a racing car!!! In the last Tokyo show, a Honda spikesman said that we are lait in presenting the car only because it aerodynamic, (WHAT DOES AERODYNAMICS REFFER TO????? mmm poor power and power-to-weight-ratio right??) The LF-A is a v10 powered supercar, and its beaten Zonda if(while this car is one of the heaviest because of its comfy stuff).. Imagine my frieand, what car will the NSX be??? Please, stop your silly comments. THIRDLY, and the most important, whether this car come with 50 or 150 thousand, the only people who will appreciate the car, are those who know it, and know its abilities..
To me it looks like a 2 seater not a GT, the donkervoort has an equally nice interior, no fancy LCD dials, big deal. This car is not that big as you make it out to be. And for a 2 seater it has some serious competition out there as far as being king of the nurburing goes for production and street legal vehicles. And just incase you didn't notice this wasn't an official Lexus article, it could have been an empty test mule, or a production model, who knows. I'm sure you dont know, unless you have photograhs of this exact car going around the lap. You seem like a self proclaimed prophet of toyota. You need to read and write more carefully and hold back on the bias.
I don't think i can teach toyota or honda anything i am just a lowly peasant from canada but i can teach you english that's for sure.
A car that goes fast, with an old rich guy badge. Sorry, nice numbers, i just don't see how it fits with there line. I commend them for tryin however the root, toyota, needs a car like this (and also some better designs i might add) and throwin on the lexus badge only gives them the right to raise the price and add a little bit of nice leather. I'd get the gt-r (lexus prob will be more expensive) before i need a soft record breaker, that i can't even get in a manual trans
The Japanese are playing catch up here. There are many 500hp plus sports cars and 4 doors on the market now. You can buy a near new 600hp Mercedes for under $70K on e-bay motors. Toyota may be very close to market saturation. They may do better designing cars for emerging markets in China and India.
Change the badge into Toyota, give new name Toyota Supra, that will give new perspective to this awesome car, i don't really want to hear about lap time in the ring before it comes into production, but this is really a good start for LF - A, anyway what's up with GT - R flying start, the other side also had a flying start.
Really wouldn't surprise me if it's just Lexus/Toyota trying to get some press hype. I've heard a lot of rumors stating that Lexus is really having a hard time w/ getting things worked out w/ the LF-A. Albeit, the LF-A is a very pretty car, it's is very far from being inspiring, or something very radical. Plus, what's up w/ that exhaust? I feel like I should go bowling w/ that exhaust...
Well put; I agree with most of what you said, especially the exhaust comment. ;P Trying to be different or do things differently and be "original" (which isn't exactly Toyota/Lexus pedigree) is a good thing, but it still has to be done right or tastefully....
It all depends once more on whether you judge based on prejudices, neutrality or positive bias. I personally find that exhaust design great, and what's more important, the sound it delivers. Have you even taken the time to watch this related video shot at the Ring? Hell, it's literally a Formula One scream flirting within 10K revs, regardless of db's. A hard time with getting things worked out? Not quite. As someone commented earlier, they've been just tuning up their aerodynamics in order to reach a higher top speed, that's all.
Trust me, I want Lexus to surprise me. I think they're the company who has changed the most (next is Audi) in many ways. But I keep finding myself disappointed by their lack of originality, and lack of ultimate refinement, which the Germans do so well. Also, regarding the exhaust: Yes I have seen that video a long time ago. I'm not putting down the sound of the exhaust, it does sound amazing, but the actual exhaust pipe design is just plain odd. I think the same about the IS-F. It's different for the sake of just being different, not for the sake of beauty.
the europeans are the best car manufactors because i wonder what would happen if they got a Bugatti veyron and lapped it around the nurburgring. and i was reading a magazine and it said that steffen bellof lapped it in 6:25m, but that was a porsche 956 turbo racing car so it probaly wasnt counted.
I'd much rather see them lap a car like the Gemballa Mirage GT, or perhaps the rumoured up-coming GT1, or the new McLaren, or the many other amazing sport/supercars they're constantly working on....
The Veyron lapped the ring at 7:40, that's on par with the 997 turbo. DOesn't surprise me though. It's just too heavy.
Of course - power is actually a small factor in lap performance.
the gt-r's marketing plan is numbers sell. with the expensive v-10 engine and brave rear mounted radiator, i think this car would be far more inspiring, just a hunch though but a strong one. the ditched the twin turbo's and went for rpm and cubic capacity which would mean this car will make all the right noises, the right way to go. thumbs up toyota
Yeah, I agree naturally aspirated and direct injection is the way to go, revvy engines and awesome exhaust note, eventhough the GT-R has lots of merit seeing how it's partly hand-built and comes from a "poor" manufacturer such as Nissan when compared to the Toyota empire. About Honda, in my opinion the NSX should display a high tech V8 instead of a V10, so there would be a funny allusion to the jap industry hierarchy: Nissan 6, Honda 8, Lexus 10. Nowadays, more than 10 cylinder-engines only makes sense in big heavy sedans or luxury coupés/convertibles.
Poor manufacturer like Nissan? I'm no Nissan fan, but what you're saying just isn't fair. Nissan does a much better job of engineering performance cars than Toyota, DESPITE the Toyota empire's vast resources and bottomless money pit. Nissan is no "poor" manufacturer, and the only reason Toyota is bigger and more powerful than Nissan or Honda is because they're more aggressive marketing-wise. At the end of the day, they sell more, but what they sell more of is mostly crap, not proper machinery. And this isn't meant to be a light against this particular Lexus concept - I'm sure it's a formidable force with all the chunks of cash that they're literally throwing at the car, but your assumption that Toyota should use a V10, Honda should use a V8, and Nissan a V6 is, well, absurd. Different applications require different engines, and the three aforementioned Japanese giants' market-share and size aren't a determining factor in what they're capable of, and certainly isn't indicative of their history and experience.
I used quotation marks precisely to point out just the pecuniary factor, my comment regarding Nissan and its fantastic GT-R being clearly positive I think. If Nissan weren't poor (again, from a financial standpoint) why would they be under Renault's authority while Toyota has reached the long awaited 1st place worldwide? And when I suggested that the three top japanese sports cars get an engine according to their financial position, I was kind of joking, not sorting these manufacturers according to merit by any means. Then again, even if they did what's so absurd about it? The overall performance and quality of an outstanding engine shouldn't be directly related to their number of cylinders or cubic capacity. This said, wouldn't it be wiser if Honda chose a well tuned naturally aspirated, mid-engined V8 instead of cloning the LF-A? Many people think so.
Passion? If a car company lacked passion they wouldn't build such cars... don't you think? Toyota would stick to building Corollas only.
You don't have to be passionate about cars to build them. They simply hire engineers and designers and bring them together under a corporate flag with the help and financial investments/assistance of millions of like-minded greedy investors. This thing's far from a Corolla and much, much better; but just because it's better than a Corolla doesn't mean there's proof of passion there.... I'm sure there are many people behind this project who are passionate about cars, but at the end of the day Toyota presented us with this thing for the bottom line.
I agree with you on that point, Toyota being another shadowy "evil" mega-corporation, but if we had greedy investors in mind then we wouldn't buy BMW, MB, Audi, Porsche, Rolls Royce... either. And you could not even get Spyker, Wiesmann or Gemballa, etc. considering they need the "raw material" only a big company can develop and provide.
damn so many comments. these guys sell the most cars in the world. they are sh1tn money. lexus is not as good as merc or bmw imo but they are good. the cars looks look weird but who are we to judge the looks of a concept car. if a designer saw these comments he would laugh his as5 off. its a concept. no way near the production model. they will make it look better than the nissan gtr. dont you guys worry. its got the power, performance, luxury and now it needs the looks which they will show when the time comes.
There are concepts and... concepts. In other words, say à la GM/Ford USA where they unveil an impressive futuristic prototype that becomes an etirely different cheap load of sh*t once it reaches production, and then there are those way more realistic concepts where you can hardly see the difference once the car goes on sale, and this is likely to be the case (thankfully!)
LF-A has the WOW factor, if you can't see that you need glasses ... you need to judge a car on all factors not just how long it's been around.




A LEXUS M6/NSX??? HMM... UNFORTUNATELY TO ME ANYTHING NAMED LEXUS NOT FOLLOWED BY LX OR LS AUTOMATICALLY IS BORING... SORRY.. TRY BADGING IT A TOYOTA? SUPRA GT-S ?? I DON'T KNOW...