THE BMW M3 is hardly a common sight, so when the driver of a track-ready version stops in the middle of the road and holds up traffic outside the Nürburgring circuit in Germany to have a long look at the prototype we're driving, you know the new LFA is something special, writes SHANE O'DONOGHUE
Today, Lexus pulled the covers off the supercar at the Tokyo Motor Show and no doubt it’ll be one of the most talked about exhibits at the Japanese event, although it’s also arguably the most irrelevant. Japan’s car market is seriously depressed at the moment, with sales down about 30 per cent. Yet there are healthy queues for new hybrid models.
With Lexus well established in the (as-yet-to-be-properly-developed) luxury-hybrid sector, you might well ask what the hell it’s doing producing a supercar. Despite early rumours of a hybrid powertrain for the LFA, Haruhiko Tanahashi, the chief engineer on the supercar project, states that he never even considered such a thing, instead opting for a high-revving 4.8-litre V10 petrol engine.
This unit was developed by Lexus from a blank sheet for the LFA and has more in common with Toyota’s Formula One engine than with any other powerplant in the Lexus family. A significant 552bhp is produced at a hair-raising 8,700rpm and the rev limiter doesn’t cut in until 9,000rpm. At this point, the dashboard will have changed colour a couple of times to urge you to change up, which you do by tapping the slim right-hand paddle behind the steering wheel.
Even the transmission is bespoke. Given the recent rollout of dual-clutch gearboxes, it’s a little surprising that Lexus opted for an automated manual, with the single clutch operated by electrohydraulic means. It makes for an exciting drive, but handles “push-on” driving better than it does ambling through traffic – regardless of which of the four driving modes and seven gear-change strategies you select.
Most of the transmission is actually mounted at the rear, which results in a 48:52 weight distribution. In fact, weight and where it is distributed was one of the major points of focus for the Lexus engineers. Although the engine is accessible from the front, it’s actually mounted behind the front axle and is referred to as “front-mid mounted”. All other major components are located within the wheelbase, including a saddle-shaped fuel tank.
To keep weight down, a remarkable 65 per cent of the LFA’s “body in white” is made up of carbon fibre, including the main cabin and chassis structure and the actual body panels. This extensive use of carbon fibre is responsible for the delay in the LFA’s arrival. When the concept version was first shown in 2005 (following five years of development), the intention was to construct a car made from aluminium, but Lexus changed its mind, deciding the weight and structural benefits of carbon fibre would be better suited to its goals.
Instead of drafting in existing experts in the field, Lexus allowed its engineers to develop new carbon fibre manufacturing processes in-house. It now claims to have the “world’s first automated mass production capabilities” for carbon fibre and confirmed that the technology will be used on future Lexus and Toyota models.
Despite the automation of some of the carbon fibre production, the LFA will be a highly exclusive model, with no more than 500 to be made in total at the Motomachi plant in Toyota city. Each example will be hand-assembled and a single technician will build each engine.
Lexus will emphasise the bespoke nature of the programme by building cars to order, allowing buyers to specify their preferences with regards to colours and trim. The LFA’s two-seat cockpit is best described as “snug”, but it’s beautifully made – sumptuous leather mixes with copious amounts of bare carbon fibre, while nearly all of the switchgear is new.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the cabin is the instrumentation. Lexus claims that a digital rev counter was necessary, as an analogue one couldn’t keep up with the engine’s ability to gain and lose revs. However, that rev counter is contained within a movable ring, which also displays speed and gear selection. Touch the menu button on the flat-bottomed steering wheel and the whole “clock” moves sideways to reveal a digital menu. Some may find it a little gimmicky, but we loved it and the menu system is simple to use.
Not that you’ll be focusing on such things if you’re driving the LFA as it was intended. Open the door, drop down in the noticeably low – though comfortable – seats, click the heavy seat belt in place (a harness is optional) and thumb the engine start button. If you didn’t already realise that this is like no other Lexus, the first time the engine fires up leaves you in no doubt.
To say that the V10 dominates proceedings would be to do the fabulously balanced chassis a disservice, but you can never get away from the engine. Even at a cruise it’s highly audible, which makes the car surprisingly unsuitable to long journeys. That’s a pity, as the LFA’s chassis is relatively comfortable, despite a lack of any adaptive damping.
Time behind the wheel on track reveals that this is where the LFA excels. It immediately engages the driver fully and is so well balanced and agile that you’re encouraged to drive it quickly from the off, despite its ample power output and 325km/h capability. There is enough feedback through the steering wheel and carbon ceramic brakes to hustle the LFA as you would a hot hatch; it really is that wieldy. Obviously, there’s more than enough shove to un-stick the huge rear tyres, but the movement is well telegraphed and easy to control, even with the quick-witted traction control turned off.
In terms of driving dynamics, the LFA compares favourably with the Ferrari 430 Scuderia. Assuming there are still supercar buyers out there, they’ve never had so much choice. Ferrari’s own 458 Italia is just around the corner, as is the Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing, while McLaren will be back in a couple of years with a successor to the mythical McLaren F1. The LFA’s abilities should see it compete in this stratosphere.
That came as a bit of a surprise, given that the LFA’s maker claims it is a Lexus at heart. The truth is it is not. The badge on the bonnet may link this supercar to the rest of the range, but its driver-focused dynamics legitimise our friend’s traffic-stopping antics in Germany. If he knew that the LFA would cost about €500,000 in Ireland, he may have lingered a little longer. After all, that’s not far off twice the likely price of some of the cars mentioned above.
Carbon – the weight is over
ONE OF the main reasons it has taken so long to bring the Lexus LFA to market is the decision part way through the project to switch from all-aluminium construction to a structure mainly made up of carbon fibre. Its estimated this resulted in a 100kg weight saving, but perhaps more importantly in a far stronger and safer body structure.
Lexus claims that the LFA features the worlds first Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) monocoque and bodywork and that in its production the engineers developed the worlds first mass production techniques for weaving and processing the high-tech material. The Toyota car-making empire was founded on loom-making and this is now employed to good effect in the weaving together of the strands that make up CFRP. A highly intricate robotised sequence speeds up this process significantly, so much so that it could lead to more widespread use of the material.
Haruhiko Tanahashi, the LFAs chief engineer, alluded to this while introducing the LFA: development of a supercar leads to new technology that contributes to the evolution of all cars.
Weight reduction is just as desirable in a family or city car as it is in a high-performance supercar. Over the past decade weve witnessed the weight of cars increasing gradually as more passive safety and standard equipment is included. With so much focus now on fuel economy, the trend of weight gain needs to be reversed, though not at the expense of safety or comfort.
Factfile Lexus LFA
Engine:4.8-litre V10 petrol engine, with peak power of 552bhp and peak torque of 480Nm and six-speed Automated Sequential Gearbox (ASG)
0-100km/h:3.7 seconds
Top speed:325km/h
Price:estimated at €500,000