drove a Lexus LF-A

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delobbo

delobbo

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rasidel_slika
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srika101
thought you guys might like to see and hear about it.

I couldn't believe how good this car is. Its just crazy good. Well for $375k I suppose it should be. Had 2 laps in it at Autobahn on Friday. Was able to floor it and take it to redline whenever possible but not too hard in the corners since it was cold out and tail came out pretty easy. I want one.

This car runs out of revs so fast, I did it a few times during the 2-lap run. ****ing best car experience ever, period. I mean I've driven a few exotics before (but only on the street). 360, 355, 348, 996 turbo, Viper, off the top of my head - but this was just crazy good. I am planning to do a write-up on it. Need to find the time/motivation. Which I think I will find.

I was surprised, I thought these cars were sold out! I asked the dealer guy there (guy I didn't know, one of the regional reps for Lexus) and he said they are available! I was stunned.


Lexus LF-A event at Autobahn CC by Rasidel Slika, on Flickr



yellow LF-A at Autobahn CC by Rasidel Slika, on Flickr



yellow LF-A at Autobahn CC (HDR) - rear 3/4 view by Rasidel Slika, on Flickr

this is the car I drove -

black LF-A at Autobahn CC (HDR) - rear view by Rasidel Slika, on Flickr


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the dash is ridiculous. and, initially the shock factor was like overwhelming and I was like, "gawdamn". But thinking a couple of days later now, I think it costs just a bit too much. The 458 handles and performs pretty much the same and its what, like 100k less. ridiculous. and, its a Ferrari. But one thing thats nice about this car is you don't have the same astronomical maintenance costs as you do with the Ferrari. You would have to take care of the brakes and that'll be pricey but you won't have a $15k basic maintenance bill at 15k on the clock or whatever it is. And also oil changes will be drastically cheaper. I believe they are in the thousands for Ferrari because they have to do extensive work on the engine. All of that being said, I think if I was in a position to buy something like this I'd have to strongly consider the 458 also, along with the Gallardo or hell for this money I'd even be looking at Murcielagos as well, hell maybe even the new LP700. This car is no joke though, 3200 lbs and 552 hp, V10 with a 9000 rpm redline. Its by far the best car I've ever driven. (the best prior to this was a Ferrari 360, 6MT. I've also driven older Ferraris and Porsches).

I was a bit delirious at the end and basically speechless so that's what's going on there lol. The instructor in the IS-F is a kind of 'pace car' so that was another reason I couldn't just go balls out on the track. But still had ample opportunities to nail it. Oh and, you would never shift gears in the middle of a turn in real racing. this video is with the windows closed... the car has technology that pipes the noise of the engine into the passenger compartment and noise-canceling to get rid of unwanted external noise interference. how ****ing cool is that. I love the sound my friend makes in the beginning, reminds me of one of those Best Motoring videos. we are both ex-Supra guys, btw. So you can imagine how much we enjoyed this. Sitting inside the LF-A for the first time I felt a similar emotion to when I sat in my Supra for the first time..... that car felt like getting into a spaceship too, the first time I did. The interior looked so dream-like, it didn't even look real. The way the console wraps around you, the driving position, etc. The LF-A technically began life as the "Supra successor" so I think that's cool.




smiling ear-to-ear by Rasidel Slika, on Flickr

The first order of business was getting accustomed to the track. Each of us got our own IS-F's for this purpose and went out for a preliminary 2-lap run. We followed the instructor in his IS-F so he could get a feel for how we are driving. They weren't about to put us in a $375,000 car at a racetrack if we were driving like idiots. Thankfully having had a good amount of track time myself in my old Supra at Road America and Gingerman Raceway, combined with LOTS and LOTS of seat time on Gran Turismo and many other various racing games over the years, I felt completely at home. The IS-F has some serious power and I had no trouble bringing the back end out coming out of the turns, especially since it was early in the morning and some 35 chilly degrees out. But that did not phase me, I was on a mission!

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here's my friend driving it, me video'ing... excuse the shaky hand, I was a bit nervous because my friend is kind of a madman on the street and he doesn't have much (read: almost no) track experience... so uhh.. yeah I was a bit on edge. he gave me a little semi-scare once you'll notice in the video (he almost did some off-roading), its not exactly the best for unexperienced to drive at a racetrack. he gives a pretty good summary of it at the end, including what he thinks about it in comparison to driving a GTR - he's driven Murcielago, 996 and 997 turbo, GTR, and some others - on the street though.

before we left the Lexus guy said "you don't want to be that guy" meaning the guy who wrecks a car at an event like this.



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Glad you enjoyed your drive, these things are growing on me a little 👍

Don't be so surprised there are still some left though. However good the car is, it's still a $375k Lexus and there just aren't quite enough people out there who've lost enough marbles to put that kind of money down on one! The LF-A is good but $375k buys you a hell of a lot of car from some other companies too... or even, a hell of a lot of cars.
 
homeforsummer
Glad you enjoyed your drive, these things are growing on me a little 👍

Don't be so surprised there are still some left though. However good the car is, it's still a $375k Lexus and there just aren't quite enough people out there who've lost enough marbles to put that kind of money down on one! The LF-A is good but $375k buys you a hell of a lot of car from some other companies too... or even, a hell of a lot of cars.
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yeah that's the impression I get. its a LOT of money, for any car! have a look at this -

 
I absolutely love that engine, but hate that it's hooked up to a God-forsaken auto clutch.

-_-

It makes such beautiful noise!
 
yeah after thinking about it for a good while this past few days, if I were to buy another sports car now (ex-Supra owner, 500hp 6MT) I would need it to be stick. this car felt more like playing a video game than actually driving a car. great experience still. but I want to shift for myself.
 
...so, um....work for Lexus? (Just a guess.) Glad you liked the opportunity.

I miss those ride-and-drives: Got to put some new-ish Lexuses through their paces on what were makeshift autocrosses. Unfortunately, nothing fancier than an LS, and IS, and an ES (the later of which I'd tried desperately to abuse, but curbs and shopping carts were not available). And then I'd hop in my old Corolla, and not miss real work that day. :sly:

Saw one finally in persona at the Chicago Auto Show; I asked the rep "what's up with the hood prop, instead of the typical Lexus hood shocks". He replied, "Oh, this carbon fiber one?", and handed it to me. Sure enough, it's like lifting a Styrofoam peanut. Heh...probably the closest I'll ever get to putting hands on an LF-A. :(
 
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I'm pretty jealous right now, dude. This car has definitely grown on me. When it first was unveiled I thought the price tag was way too ridiculous for it's performance, but screw that, the car sounds and looks absolutely beautiful. This is my favorite car; I would go as far enough as to call it my dream car. The last "dream car" I had was the Murcielago back when it came out circa 2000..
 
That car is sexy, i like the seats they look comfy ^^. Lucky bastard, for having the opportunity to drive such a car.
 
CarreraGT
Just curious, how did you get to do this? I must know...
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Pupik
...so, um....work for Lexus? (Just a guess.) Glad you liked the opportunity.

I miss those ride-and-drives: Got to put some new-ish Lexuses through their paces on what were makeshift autocrosses. Unfortunately, nothing fancier than an LS, and IS, and an ES (the later of which I'd tried desperately to abuse, but curbs and shopping carts were not available). And then I'd hop in my old Corolla, and not miss real work that day. :sly:

Saw one finally in persona at the Chicago Auto Show; I asked the rep "what's up with the hood prop, instead of the typical Lexus hood shocks". He replied, "Oh, this carbon fiber one?", and handed it to me. Sure enough, it's like lifting a Styrofoam peanut. Heh...probably the closest I'll ever get to putting hands on an LF-A. :(
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I met some amazing people back in the Supra days, people who became lasting friends - friends who know and respect my love for sports cars (and photography) and they kept me in mind for this event. it was a win/win situation! I have great friends, that's how I got to do this.
WeinerSchnitzel
I'm pretty jealous right now, dude. This car has definitely grown on me. When it first was unveiled I thought the price tag was way too ridiculous for it's performance, but screw that, the car sounds and looks absolutely beautiful. This is my favorite car; I would go as far enough as to call it my dream car. The last "dream car" I had was the Murcielago back when it came out circa 2000..
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I had nothing too nice to say about this car aside from the engine noise. I didnt like the styling especially the front end and the price tag is just like ????? but that all changed after driving it, none of that means anything. And, I even want to buy one, somehow. Obviously that is much harder than it seems for someone like me unless I win the lottery or something of that nature, but the fact that it gave me that drive which I never felt before to even think about buying one, tells me how special this car is. And now whenever I see someone on a forum hating on this car because of its price or styling, I'm just laughing to myself. Because they just don't know. They don't know, period. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I'll never forget it.
YiNG_YaNG_6o4
Im curious too. Are you a journalist? Or work at Lexus or something? I envy you so much.
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one of my friends is a manager at Lexus and he was involved with this event.
 
I want! This is the only super car I really have much interest in, minus an on again off again affair with the Pagani Zonda.

GIVE ME!
 
sems4arsenal
You Lucky Lucky man :D ,Brilliant mate ,Wonder how it Compares to the one in GT5 :sly:
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I did try it in GT5 a couple days after, and actually it was my first time trying it in that game. It doesn't seem to rev as fast as the real car. They did the dash nicely. Otherwise can't really compare it, as the real car felt more like a road-going race car, than a street car. And you just don't get that feeling in a video game. The same could be said for all the other cars though so I don't know what that's really saying. I mean its kinda obvious.
 
I'm assuming this has something to do with Top Gear and how all Albanians are car thieves.
 
Well, this is like dating Angelina Jolie.

I'm jealous. :grumpy:
 

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