Some LF-A news

[2jayzgte]

Has anyone been on www.lexus.com and used the configurator to make up there own LFA,I thought that was a pretty cool function build the basically to your specs.

Honda have had a chance to build a car like the LFA but they canned it the new NSX was pipelined at the same time but due to the recession and all they pulled the pin.

I think that new Honda looks very 599ish.

I to agree Lexus are going to have to pull a few rabbits out of hats to sales pitch this car to that Ferrari Porsche Lambo Mercedes and Audi Brigade but I reckon if they get them to a track and let them loose in it and then compare what they own now I think thats a sure fire way of selling this car.

[79rolla]

i know about half a dozen people in the target market and they would rather buy another lambo or Ferrari oh wait they did!
if only they bleed Toyota like me,

its quite easy to predict that the 500 units have already been sold so there's not much more to argue.

the ft86 will make more money for toyota then the LFA ever will, the LFA is more of a show case of what toyota can do and to say to the would "yes toyota is still a motor sports company" thanks to the new CEO there is still race fuel running through toyota HQ.

what was the 2000gt for?

i agree, LFA was going to make a loss last i heard, witch is unlike toyota, but that shows hot committed they are to it..(considering they will stop production of a car the moment it doesn't reach sales goals) telly looking forward to seeing some of the technology trickle down into more affordable options, and i do hope its not just a 1 off production and the continue the line in the future

[79rolla]

looks good, they might be putting a detuned vertion of the motor into another car..

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/29/rumo ... -lfas-v10/

cant wait fo find a front cut of one of these

[Adamal]

It'd make sense to use the engine in another car. You'd be able to make more money for your engineering mile as it were.

The only thing you'd lose is the exclusivity of the engine only being in the LFA, even if it is a detuned version.

[Makaveli]

Lexus LF-A will be on Top Gear on 3rd January 2010 in UK. Provided the track is not wet and all, I predict a 1:19.0 to 1:19.5 time due to the weight of the vehicle. GS-F has been in the pipeline for a while. Infiniti has responded to the Lexus IS-F in USA with a 5.6 Litre V8 in the new 2011 M Series with 420 HP. I hope they don't go too crazy like AMG cars that have so much torque that they become useless in practical sense.

[frost]

looks good, they might be putting a detuned vertion of the motor into another car..

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/29/rumo ... -lfas-v10/

cant wait fo find a front cut of one of these

hot dam, i love it when toyota pulls finger and makes a string of performance cars like this, its about f!#king time, now next on the cards should be a 4wd rally car(not subaru).

makes me want to catch them all, gotta catch em all.

[Makaveli]

Lexus LF-A Top Gear Track: 1.22.8 (WET TRACK)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfTflPA_rH8

[Mr Revhead]

Lol @ at the Toyota F1 dig

Not a bad time at all

[flygt4]

someone within lexus europe had stated that the LF-A engine will be bespoke, and not featured in any other cars, so doubtful it will turn up in the GS-F

[2jayzgte]

Lexus LF-A Top Gear Track: 1.22.8 (WET TRACK)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfTflPA_rH8

Looked pretty good to me the car looked really composed under those conditions I personally think in the dry you'd see 3-4 seconds a lap quicker for sure so that would drop it right in there with the Enzo and Maseratti MC 12.

[Makaveli]

Richard Hammond Review of LF-A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFxII5cwvsc

[Mr Revhead]

wtf is with that annoying cartoon bs

[rollaholic]

yeah so it was the fastest wet lap they have ever had apparently, not bad for a RWD car. would be keen to see a dry one.

sounds $&#$% mental

[2jayzgte]

They keep going on about price I wonder if it was Ferrari's 1st attempt at a Supercar if they'd make the same sought of noise's..Jesus I think its probably as quick or quicker than an Enzo around that track for half the price I wonder why they don't mention that.Mind you thats Clarkson for you and why do they keep comparing it to the GTR its a different platformed car to start with I don't no why they bother it there going to compare it roll out the SLR 722 or the 599 GTHE there its real competition.

[postfach]

I think its probably as quick or quicker than an Enzo around that track for half the price

The Enzo sold for a little over £400k when it was new, thats not even close to twice the price. You could compare using what it would cost to buy an Enzo now but I don't think that's a fair comparison.

and why do they keep comparing it to the GTR its a different platformed car to start with

You just compared it with an Enzo, last time I checked, the engine wasn't in the front on one of those = different platform. Maybe they compare it with the GTR because it's the only other Japanese supercar in that league on the market.

[Mr Revhead]

Yeah I dunno what they are thinking with that price.
I guess they are trying to artificially boost it by making it very expensive.

If they engine was in the rear it may get away with it.
But no real supercar has the engine in the front.
Sports cars can, GT's do. But not supercars.
Supercars have rear mounted engines of at least 8 cylinders. Sometimes V6 turbos sort of make it, like the XJ220 and some Nobles, but in my mind, Front engine = GT or Sports car.

If they stick with models like that however, and start to build a rep based on them. Then they will do quite well.

[postfach]

I don't know if its in that youtube clip but Jeremy goes on to say that Lexus isn't making any profit at that price, if that's true then it would seem that it's the lowest they can go without making a loss?

9 years of development is probably really expensive, along with all the carbon fibre and whatnot, think about all the tooling that had to be designed and made, even for all the prototypes that have been and gone over that time, it would be hard to justify the whole project without pricing the end product such that the costs would be recovered

[Mr Revhead]

How much does 9 years of development, including redoing several majors areas and then making it out of carbon fibre cost?
No surprise they are not making on it.

Its Toyota's Veyron. It's part showing off, and part trying to make a name.

[postfach]

How much does 9 years of development, including redoing several majors areas and then making it out of carbon fibre cost?

Probably about £340000x500

[frost]

from my marketing background this approach is about right, im sure if toyota could they would of sold it for the same price of a 599

lexis/toyota is trying to up the exclusiveness of the brand, scaling up towards merc/bmw/bently we all know there over priced for what they really are(serge)

you saw the reaction of harmonds face when he said "its a lexis"
thats exactly what there trying to shake off, they have NEVER been able to put down this dog(stigma) that follows the brand,

just imagine how much of a markup the rest of the lexis fleet will have if this marketing scheme works, toyota wont make money from this but the ripple effect will make the rest of them more profitable,
dont turn your back on those tricky trickys.

edit, also did you notice that they didn't mention toyota, im thinking it must of been one of the agreements they had with topgear to let them drive the car, (again trying to shake the dog off)