2011 Lexus LFA: An exclusive test drive on the Homestead Speedway
Homestead Speedway, Florida – The sound of the V10 screaming at 9,000 rpm as I take off down the straightaway at the Homestead Speedway is quite simply mind-blowing and proof positive that the engineers at Lexus have managed to come closer than anyone before them to reproducing the unique sound of an F1 engine… This is the Lexus LFA, one of the most highly anticipated supercars. And how did I get the opportunity to get behind the wheel of one of only two LFAs sent to North America? It was thanks to Lexus’ decision to invite a very select group of journalists from all over the world to evaluate this new thoroughbred on a circuit. There were just four Canadian journalists in the group, and The Car Guide was the Quebec media’s only representative.
The test run lasted only six short laps, but what laps they were! Right out of the pits, it was easy to see that this was going to be an exceptional test drive when the LFA’s 552 horses took charge and the V10 quickly climbed toward its maximum of 9,000 rpm with that roar that is sure to become its signature. By the way, I should specify that I’ve also had the chance in the past to drive the Ferrari F430 as well as the 599 GTB Fiorano, the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 and the recent Audi R8 V10, but none of these cars was able to mimic the sound of an F1 engine as well as the LFA. It seems that the Lexus engineers paid special attention to this feature by refining the development of the engine and the exhaust and including passages with membranes between the engine compartment and the cockpit specifically to improve the auditory experience. At 9,000 rpm, the pistons of the LFA’s V10 travel at 25 metres per second and the two oil pumps have an output of 240 litres per minute, which means that the contents of the 10-litre oil tank is recycled 24 times every 60 seconds.
This engine, known as the 1 LR-GUE, was a joint project with Yamaha and it was developed specifically for the LFA. This 72º 4.8-litre V10 is equipped with titanium connecting rods and valves, variable valve timing and a dry sump. Although it’s a V10, the LFA’s engine is shorter, narrower, lighter, and placed lower under the hood and behind the front axle than the Lexus IS’ 2.5-litre V6. This V10 goes from slow motion to its 9,000 rpm limit to neutral in only six tenths of a second, and the engine speed seems to drop almost as quickly. The result is that playing with the accelerator in neutral produces the same Wap-Wap-Wap sound as a real race engine. Its maximum 552 horsepower is achieved at 8,700 rpm and it has a maximum torque of 354 lbs-ft achieved at 6,800 rpm. The Lexus LFA weighs 1,480 kilos, thus giving it a better weight to power ratio than the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.
It features an Aisin six-speed manual transmission located beside the differential at the tail end in order to optimize weight distribution. It is controlled electronically using shifters found on the steering column, and the left one, for downshifting, requires a little more effort than the one on the right does for upshifting. The engineers at Lexus toyed with the idea of adopting a twin-clutch gearbox, but they decided against it because they felt that it would keep you from feeling the gear changes. In “sport” mode, it shifts from gear to gear in 200 thousandths of a second, which is a little slow when you consider that Ferrari is predicting a shifting time of 60 thousandths of a second for the new 458 Italia. That is one of the LFA’s few weaknesses.
Another shortcoming is that the power steering could give a little more feedback. Indeed, with a weight distribution of 48 percent on the front end and 52 percent on the tail end (which is remarkable considering the front-mid engine placement) the chassis is so well balanced that the car can change direction very quickly in a series of slow turns but remains stable and predictable in Homestead’s rare fast turns. Beyond the extremely evocative sound of the engine, the other highly impressive feature is the performance of the joint Lexus-Brembo ceramic composite disc brakes. On the track at Homestead, the LFA seems to accelerate and decelerate with equal ferocity while remaining easy to drive fast. It’s far less intimidating than some other exotic rivals because of you feel relaxed at the wheel and because of the impressive stability of the chassis at high speed.
The LFA’s passenger compartment is a mixture of Lexus’ signature high-tech and traditional luxury features. Thus, the LFA is not equipped with a conventional dashboard, rather there’s a digital tachometer that displays data in different ways based on the driver’s choice of one of the four driving modes: Auto, Normal, Sport and Wet. Moreover, the seat belt harnesses include an airbag as a means of reducing thorax injuries in the case of a high-speed accident, a world first according to the designers at Lexus. The contoured sport seats are covered with very high quality leather and the LFA also comes standard with a high performance sound system and a navigation system.
On the technical side, the first prototype had a chassis constructed entirely of aluminum, but in order to reduce the weight of the LFA, a cutting-edge 65 percent carbon fibre, 35 percent aluminum chassis configuration was adopted over the development process. This new production technique explains in part the long delay between the unveiling of the LF-A concept car at the 2005 Detroit Car Show and the 2011 arrival of the production model, now known as the LFA.
In closing, a few important details for the potential buyer (this means you, Guy Laliberté): Only 500 LFAs will be produced over the 2011 and 2012 model years at the Motomachi plant by a team of 1,540 technicians – a rate of one per day. All will be constructed on demand based on the buyer’s body and passenger compartment colour specifications. Of this number, five per year (ten in total) will be released on the Canadian market. The price has been fixed at $375,000 USD and buyers will first have to lease the LFA for a two-year period before being able to buy it outright as a means of discouraging speculators wanting to capitalize on this model’s guaranteed exclusivity.