The Lexus LFA Was Not A Failure (Even Though It Was) | Hagerty

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KLconfidential@reddit

It's definitely not my favorite looking supercar but that engine is legendary.

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I always thought that it, like or hate the look, it definitely "turned heads" more than the comparable Ferrari at the time. The thing looked like a million bucks in 2010. The only real downer (that made it perform badly in sales) was the actual ability. It was lacking. An ugly ass, 75k GTR (you know, when it was still being billed as a budget supercar to gain market share) could hang with it. Which was embarrassing. Ain't no way it was going to sell well. But still, imo a great looking ride.

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Saitoh17@reddit

It was a track car not a drag racer. It was briefly the fastest production car around the Nurburgring, beating the 911 GT2 RS and Corvette ZR1.

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watduhdamhell@reddit

No, this is not true. Not even remotely.

The LFA Nurburgring edition did the deed in 7:14, faster than the cars you mentioned (which was bested by an ACR at 7:12 with summer tires, and followed closely by that pesky 75k GTR at 7:19 with fucking run flats... Ouch). It was very briefly the fastest production car- the special 445k edition model, not the regular one (which was 375k).

The standard LFA did the deed in 7:38 according to Sport Auto, which is substantially slower than the cars mentioned, and slower than the GTR. Again, who, who in their right mind buys a 375k "supercar" that is slower than a 75k GTR both in drag races and Round race tracks? Nobody, that's who, and that's why of the original 500 models produced, I struggled to sell the last few for a decade. Literally sitting on showroom floors... For decades.

It was kind of a huge joke back then. EVERYONE knew it was overpriced and lacking. But it was definitely cool. It still is cool. But a successful track day vehicle it was not.

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Comprehensive_Dog651@reddit

To be fair, the GTR of the day did it in 7:38 on sport auto on faster tires and the 458 also did it in 7:38 in sport auto with the same tires as the Lexus. But I get your point

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Fox2_Fox2@reddit

It seemed to me that the LFA is liked for the sound it makes. It doesn’t have the cachet, performance or look(subjective) that demands supercar money.

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Agriez9@reddit

It's that damn noise. It just gets you hearing it in person. I don't even know how to explain it, but damn.

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watduhdamhell@reddit

Oh yeah. The sound is amazing. All sorts of cool details about it are amazing.

But imagine you have 375k back in 2010. Would you:

A: buy a 280k Ferrari, fully specced, much faster than an LFA, much better looking, much more famous, will definitely hold it's value, on and on and on, and maybe an M5 fully loaded for the daily drive with the remaining 95k?

Or

B: Buy an unproven, limited run Lexus, which may or may not retain its value, and is slower than a 75K GTR? And this thing costs 375 fucking thousand dollars?

Most people picked option A, obviously. But hey, if I had all the money, I too would get the LFA just for the fun sound and such.

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lockpickerkuroko@reddit

The problem with the LFA is something that's mentioned in the video.

Lexus and the F performance brand simply didn't have the brand cachet, and therefore the right (in the eyes of those wealthy enough to drop 400k on a car in 2010) to charge that kind of money.

It's not as if it was a tailor-made-to-your-specs Pagani. So if you're not charging the money because of that, then the only other metric is performance, and boy did the LFA not play the performance game.

It took time to realize that the reason the LFA cost 400k was because it was, to borrow Clarkson's words talking about the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante, 'a tool for making you feel special'.

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FappinPlatypus@reddit

The fact they brought in Yamaha sound engineers to help design the sound speaks volumes.

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PurpleSausage77@reddit

Yamaha was sent from the heavens to turn engines in to fine tuned instruments. They’ve also done up the ISF V8 and 2ZZ’s that you can find in anything from Celica to Corolla, to Lotus.

SHO Taurus V8 as well.

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GRN225@reddit

Pretty much every Toyota engine with the suffix ending in “GE” was tuned by Yamaha.

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PlasmaH_PAM@reddit

Not 4A-GE though.

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GRN225@reddit

When you Google 4AGE, the very first sentence under the 4AGE tab that pops up for Wikipedia literally says in collaboration with Yamaha. lol

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PlasmaH_PAM@reddit

There's no 4A-GE with Yamaha logo, Yamaha never claimed that they participated on it, but someone write it on Wikipedia so you believe it. It's possible that Yamaha gave some advise to Toyota, but saying they developed is overstate I guess.

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GRN225@reddit

The Wiki answer was to show you how a simple search on your end would reveal you are in fact, incorrect. I believe it because I've been working on Toyotas for 21 years and have owned a handful of 4AGEs in my life. 16 and 20 valve versions. Not having a Yamaha logo on the engine someplace is not an absolute answer. For example, the 2ZZGE was still based on the 1ZZFE block, though parts are NOT compatible. Yamaha designed the cylinder head and valvetrain which also meant they needed to design and produce a front cover and thus their name is on it.

If you go way back to the 70's and have a look at say 18RG, some of their heads were made by Yamaha, and stamped as such, some were made in house by Toyota and not stamped. Still designed by Yamaha.

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PlasmaH_PAM@reddit

I always looking for an objective answer, not something like "I'm former engineer for Yamaha and my friend in engine division says..." or "I am former Toyota employee and..." types of thing because how I can tell if it's true or not. I always looking for official document, interviews of engineer who involved in this engine to etc.

Yesterday, I send email to Toyota and waiting for answer before reply to you. And right now I get It. And at this point, I stand corrected. The answer was simply "The 4A-GE engine you inquire about was developed by Yamaha".

Thank you for giving opportunity to clear my misconception.

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GRN225@reddit

I'm just a guy that likes driving old Toyotas. but I know a thing or two :) I like to share that knowledge when I can.

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Jay_Diamond_WWE@reddit

I want a V8 SHO so bad. I'd drop a single big turbo in it and let hilarity ensue. Aside from the cam sprocket issue, they were incredibly stout motors and could handle boost well. Shame they only saw production for a handful of years.

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Either-Durian-9488@reddit

That’s the hideous one right? The 90s Taurus sho is a V6 with the prettiest intake manifold ever

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Jay_Diamond_WWE@reddit

Yea. The bubble butt Taurus. The V8 had a nice intake manifold as well. Just hidden in a terribly ugly shell.

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intrepidOcto@reddit

3.4L V8 with quite interesting design, slapped together with a terrible automatic in a melted soap bar of a car.

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Either-Durian-9488@reddit

That’s the Noble M600 motor sans turbos isn’t it?

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Niko740@reddit

The Noble is the Volvo S80/XC90 V8

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RunninOnMT@reddit

They sound amazing. There was a kid at my college who had one in like 2003.

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dphoenix1@reddit

And the mandatory automatic didn’t help things.

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Jay_Diamond_WWE@reddit

I forgot about that. On the plus side, the bellhousing was used on half of Ford's transmissions in that era. I remember swapping a SHO V6 into a Tempo and it literally bolted right in to the transmission. 3 speed auto with overdrive made that poor SHO hate me.

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maxlax02@reddit

Their motorcycle engines are also basically bullet proof.

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Nieros@reddit

Yamaha has had a hand in many Toyota engines all the way back to the 2000gt. The 4age, 3sgte and 2jzgte as well as the 2zzge. Oh, and the 2urgse from the ISF has their fingerprints on it too. Basically anything performance oriented they called in Yamaha to take a hard look at

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onedayaccountnow@reddit

Can't forget the volvo v8 yamaha did

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burlyginger@reddit

That thing is amazing straight piped.

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GTOdriver04@reddit

I was in Long Beach, 2012 for the IndyCar race (GREAT TIME, I highly recommend that race to anyone. It’s a 3-day party and it’s fantastic)

I was standing outside the track in one of the viewing areas by the fence and this driver had one (I assume a Toyota pace car or something) and absolutely BLASTED that mofo going down the back straight coming off a right-hander.

I legit cried on the spot. That engine on full-song is one of the most glorious sounds I’ve ever heard.

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Guac_in_my_rarri@reddit

I just heard an ISF recently and was blown away by the sound. I had no idea it sounded so amazing.

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prog_metal_douche@reddit

It was cool when they had the NSX as the pace car there until recently, but definitely didn’t sound great. I’ve always wanted to attend that race!

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Jay_Diamond_WWE@reddit

Last time Yamaha helped build a street engine afaik was the Ford Taurus SHO. What a machine it was. It's no wonder the LFA was so awesome.

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philghost@reddit

They also engineered and helped build the '05-'10 Volvo V8s which also got used in the Noble M600.

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Noobasdfjkl@reddit

Toyota, with I think 2 exceptions, always brings Yamaha in to do work on their performance engine heads. It would be weird if they didn’t at this point.

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LurpyGeek@reddit

https://theonion.go-vip.net/yamaha-ceo-pleased-with-current-production-of-jet-skis-1819570984/

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epihocic@reddit

Not really, Yamaha had been working with Toyota on engines for decades at that point.

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Thee_Sinner@reddit

Literally

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Xtoron2@reddit

I actually like how it looks. Very japanese

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Astramael@reddit

This is how I feel too, it has a Gundam vibe to it.

Japanese things can have a form-follows-function aesthetic awkwardness that I often like. The Kawasaki C-2 is also like this.

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BestMillimeter18@reddit

Was expecting a bike when I googled Kawasaki C-2

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Savos-Magnus@reddit

Lmfao! When I saw your comment and googled I was expecting a car

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EmergencyRace7158@reddit

It's aged very well.

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Recoil42@reddit

The ass-end is fantastic. Very cohesive. The front end suffers from the same problem as the 4th-gen Prius, there are too many non-continuous lines doing their own thing.

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FeelTheLoveNow@reddit

The rear is fantastic but the front looks very dated and scrunched

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BannytheBoss@reddit

In the world of everything looking the same, the style has definitely grown on me... not that I could afford one anyway. The best part is how Toyota/Lexus are the ones who built it. That's a huge feat for a company... especially for one that strives to produce reliable vehicles. Toyota has always done stuff like this, of course. My favorite Toyota is the Celica GT-Four.

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gordon22@reddit

Can't agree more on this.

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Noobasdfjkl@reddit

Would be really interesting to see how the LFA would hold up today with a DCT or even a manual.

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I_Am_Vladimir_Putin@reddit

People hate on that trans way too much.

I actually like that it shifts in a way that kind of remind you of a manual, with a delay, rather than absolutely instantaneous. The car was all about feel, not about maximizing speed.

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Noobasdfjkl@reddit

If they wanted to maximize feel at the price of speed, they should have given it a manual, full stop. Single clutch automatics are a compromise solution that delivers the worst of both worlds, and every single one of them is like that.

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argothewise@reddit

At the time yes, the transmission was bad for the car due to the competition. But at this point in 2024, it’s a car one buys solely for the driving feel and story. The transmission adds to the car’s character and 14 years later it’s more endearing than it is bad.

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asdfoneplusone@reddit

But if I want manual feel, I'd rather drive manual

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DanielG165@reddit

I mean, it went racing, and set a production car lap record on the Nurburgring. I’d say the LFA was absolutely about maximizing speed and performance, as well as feel and stimulation. The transmission just objectively wasn’t that great, especially once DCTs started becoming the norm.

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italia06823834@reddit

A modern trans and modern tires would transform the LFA.

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RevvCats@reddit

The LFA is on my shortlist of cars I’d love to see car and driver take to VIR with modern tires. Price on them is just stupid though, 751k for one right now on BaT.

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stoned-autistic-dude@reddit

If I were rich, this would be the car I'd buy. It sounds incredible.

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cerberaspeedtwelve@reddit

I think the LFA's dated SMG based transmission wasn't truly the engineers or designer's fault. It was a direct result of how absurdly long the development process was: something like 9 years. At one point it was mid engined, and at another point there was supposed to be a convertible version as well, which necessitated redesigning the coupe version from scratch so they could use the same chassis for both. (The convertible version never became a reality.)

After almost a decade in development, I can understand someone deciding "We know this transmission is dated, but it works, it's in the car, let's get it out of the door."

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Noobasdfjkl@reddit

That’s exactly what happened. They just needed to ship the car after an absurdly long gestation.

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MooseKnuckleds@reddit

The unofficial symbol of a failed F1 venture

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YeonneGreene@reddit

Leaving the LC500 out in the cold with that list. No LC500 without the LFA.

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AbjectAcanthisitta89@reddit

I have an LC500 and love it. Thank you LFA

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Defiant-Diver-6041@reddit

Imagine an LC with the LFA engine in it

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TheComradeVortex@reddit

Let this man cook

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YeonneGreene@reddit

I keep eyeballing the used listings, especially after several 4-hour drives in this car have really hammered home how hostile the seats are to my body.

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AccurateBuy9226@reddit

The seats in your M240 are uncomfortable on road trips?

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YeonneGreene@reddit

Seats are personal for everybody but, as a 120 pound woman, I am not quite heavy enough to engage the seat padding and the result is all my weight going to my sit bones at a bad angle that I can't change. The result? After an hour I'm in some pretty awful pain around that area. It's pretty upsetting, since this car is otherwise amazing.

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rugbyj@reddit

as a 120 pound woman, I am not quite heavy enough to engage the seat padding

Just eat more /s

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YeonneGreene@reddit

Been hearing this all my life. I definitely eat, it just doesn't stick. 😅

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rugbyj@reddit

Was tongue in cheek!

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pushrodv8@reddit

Hi, I have a 992s and I've been debating swapping for an LC500 if possible. Do you mind sharing your opinion about ownership? I know they're different cars, but I'm not tracking my car, I daily, so far I'm enjoying it but the build quality and lack of drama of a flat6 engine leave me wanting.

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MotoMD@reddit

I have a 992s and looked at an LC500 before buying. It depends on what you want. The LC looks cool and has a good sounding v8 and has a pretty nice interior but everything else was kinda meh. The 992s handles so much better, is lighter, has steering feedback that is perfect and looks amazing as well. The transmission on the LC sucks too and is clunky compared to the PDK. I also love the flat6 it’s unique to the 911. As a daily driver you might like the touring car which is the LC but take it to a track or a canyon road and the 992s is unbeatable. Having said this is your not happy with the 992s get a 718 spyder or GTS 4.0. I would have gotten that but needed the back seats and line the larger interior space of the 992.

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pushrodv8@reddit

I understand all you're saying, and some things are new to me. I haven't researched enough but I'm surprised that the transmission on the LC sucks. Does it really suck, or is it just in comparison with PDK? Because tbf nothing in the world compares to PDK. I also need 4 seats for my kids, so a 718 won't work. Tbh the 992s is clinically precise, and for me this takes away a bit of the fun in driving. Wrt to steering feedback, isn't the LC hydraulic, or is it also EPS? If this is the case then surely it won't compete with the near-perfect road feel of the 992s, which is only surpassed by hydraulic steering and this BARELY, in terms of feedback. Unfortunately where I live there are no canyons, it's pretty flat, and most of the time it's dense city driving. I'm still torn, the grunt of that v8 sounds good, but I have St1 M-Tune on my 992s and the power bump cannot be matched by the LC.

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morritse@reddit

Lc500 coupe is one of the best looking cars ever imo

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ScipioAfricanvs@reddit

I thought the same when he mentioned the moving cluster panel but didn't mention the LC 500 does it too, inspired by the LFA.

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YeonneGreene@reddit

The LC500 as a whole is "Son of Baconator" to LFA's "Baconator."

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StoopidZoidberg@reddit

And no GS-F without the LFA either. That 5.0 sound amazing at 7500 rpm

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AbjectAcanthisitta89@reddit

I have an LC500. Thank you, LFA roots.

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8rings_86k@reddit

Did you have to tell us 4 times?

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AbjectAcanthisitta89@reddit

I didn't mean to. It told me it didn't connect to the server and to try again lol.

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Naytosan@reddit

Just let me buy the complete engine and offer a motor mount kit for the new M4upra. I will take a 2nd mortgage out on my house to accomplish this.

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ConcealedCove@reddit

They got you fam. https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/1200045a00 Post pics.

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Naytosan@reddit

$92k is a lot less than I was expecting for the long block. Thanks for the link!

Now I gotta buy the PCMs, the instrument cluster/PCM, make harnesses, buy an M4upra, rip out the engine, design/engineer motor mounts, install, then measure everything to see if it fits. 😋

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dfields3710@reddit

I’m sorry but the reverse of opinion this car is having is crazy. When this car came out, it was absolutely clowned. The biggest criticism was it was a “Lexus lol”.

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Astramael@reddit

GR Yaris a bit the same. What, an exciting Toyota? Unlikely. Worse yet, an exciting Yaris? I don’t believe you! Yet here we are.

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TurboFucked@reddit

The GR Yaris wasn't weird though, it was a Group R rally car, so it was not any more odd than a Fiesta ST or a Peugeot 208 GTI.

I mean, maybe Americans who weren't familiar with rally cross would have thought a Yaris can't be exciting, but Toyota has been racing Yaris and Vitz in WRC for like 10 years by the time the GRY came out. So people who followed WRC (thus are potential GRY customers) would have known what Toyota could do with one.

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ConcealedCove@reddit

Makes a lot more sense to people who remember the Vitz RS Turbo or even the turbo Starlets. Little pocket rocket Toyotas that would’ve never caught on in America.

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MDA123@reddit

The issue was that the previous US-market Yaris was basically marketed as a shitbox entry-level economobile.

So when they made a high-performance hatchback with the Yaris name, it was definitely a double-take moment. It would be like Nissan making a killer rally car out of the Versa, despite it not having any sporting pretensions. That would be a welcome development! But a big surprise nonetheless.

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handymanshandle@reddit

Scratch the "US-market" part, the Yaris (or Yaris-equivalent) is generally synonymous with "cheap econobox" wherever it's sold. Rally cars are a thing, of course, but to see Toyota actually take the plunge and make a fast, great handling Yaris with a high-strung 3-banger and a 6-speed manual with AWD for the street is a fair bit surreal.

I'd argue the GR Corolla is even weirder. Sure, the Corolla and its offshoots have had their own sporty models throughout the years (Sprinter Trueno, 2005 XRS, V6 Blade), but Toyota went and took the GR Yaris' powertrain, beefed it up a little and actually tossed it into a Corolla hatchback. Then went and sold it to the general public. Even weirder of a car than the Elantra N in that context, honestly.

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stoned-autistic-dude@reddit

Disagree. There were people who loved it and people who hated it. The car was objectively loved by enthusiasts, who are poor, and disliked by speculators, who are rich. That's the difference.

Rich people can be enthusiasts but most of them are speculators--that's why they don't drive their cars.

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Odd-Refrigerator-425@reddit

Are people not allowed to change opinions over time or something?

Why is that crazy?

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dfields3710@reddit

Never said it was bad, just that’s crazy seeing the opinion on car changing. Especially since it doesn’t happen often in the car community.

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MDA123@reddit

It's definitely viewed very differently than when it was introduced, but that's not at all unusual for enthusiast cars. History is littered with examples of things that were not well understood by the contemporary buying public and thus were not sales successes, but as time went on appreciation for them grew to the point that they were considered masterpieces.

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Gwolf4@reddit

I love hagerty's documentarys but whut?

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lazybird55@reddit

As a car designer (officially now), I never liked the styling of the LFA - always felt like it didn't really have the makings of a true supercar. Especially when you consider the money they were asking. I could've designed a much better looking car with a dull pencil and a brutal hangover.

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stoned-autistic-dude@reddit

Disagree. The subtle styling helped the car age gracefully. Toyota knew this with the 2000GT and Supra--the smoother, more reserved lines always lasted longest. This is why the Honda FK8 CTR will never be as revered as the FL5 CTR when it comes to aesthetics. This is a clean supercar and was competing with the Ferrari 599 and F12. Hell, look at the Mazda Furai, though it was more race car than anything, which looked super as fuck but now looks old. They were designed at the same time. If they did something extreme, it would have sold poorly AND aged terribly. This was always a losing proposition for Lexus.

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accccc123123123@reddit

For me LFA is one of the most beautiful cars ever.

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TurboFucked@reddit

I love it too. It took inspiration from a lot of classic Toyota performance cars and it also inspired a lot of future Toyota cars. The end result is an amalgamation of all of all things Toyota, old and new.

So the front is very FRS, the side profile is very A80 Supra (especially in white with the spoiler deployed), the proportions remind me a bit of the MR2, but stretched.

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accccc123123123@reddit

I like that its soo rough yet so beautiful and there is something that just draws me towards that silhouette.

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surf_greatriver_v4@reddit

As a humble-bragging-on-reddit-hater, I disagree

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I_Am_Vladimir_Putin@reddit

Hard disagree. Super cool looking. Unique in its own way and very Japanese, as it should be. The proportions are beautiful.

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lazybird55@reddit

I wasn't fishing for opinions..?

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ItsGizzman@reddit

What? They gave their opinion the same way you gave yours. You being a car designer doesn’t invalidate everyone else’s opinions lmao

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PM_ENGLISH_BULLDOGS@reddit

DEFO.

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DaOne_44@reddit

How’d you get into car designing? What degree did you acquire to make it possible?

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Stampedex2@reddit

Not op but typically you'd get an industrial design degree, from a school that has an automotive stream for their design courses.

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ScipioAfricanvs@reddit

The LFA never had the makings of a varsity athlete.

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lazybird55@reddit

That's literally where that line came from

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ScipioAfricanvs@reddit

I don't want to hear it again. End of subject!

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EICONTRACT@reddit

Kinda fits its time period.

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ymjcmfvaeykwxscaai@reddit

I saw someone say it had a timeless interior design. That's one way to describe it.

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giantusername@reddit

The LFA is legendary but it does look like Lexus just tasked whoever designed the ES and LS sedans with making it

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wtfthisisntreddit@reddit

This Toyota we're talking about here. Japanese Automakers are always conservative with their designs for these kinds of cars (LFA, R35 GTR, 1 gen NSX, LFA, 2000gt). This car was designed in the early 2000s also

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V8-Turbo-Hybrid@reddit

Toyota actual did try twice to catch high-end exotic buyers, the first time was 2000GT.

Unfortunately, 2000GT was more forgotten, but that car actual spiritually build Supra and LFA.

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spike021@reddit

everyone says the modern 86/BRZ is built to resemble the design spirit of the AE86 but that's actually wrong.

Sooo many design similarities to the 2000GT. In fact, the 2nd gen even a bit more with the fuel door design and stuff.

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420bIaze@reddit

Toyota reference the AE86 because it's the legendary meme car.

But I think the modern 86/BRZ most resembles Celica.

The AE86 was a hot trim of the Corolla, it wasn't even a model name. The Celica was built from the ground up as a sports car, like 86/BRZ. The Celica was still rwd at the same time the AE86 was on sale, so they have the same rwd legitimacy.

The Celica name is tarnished by most 2wd Celicas other than the first and last gen being slow soft dogs.

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lockpickerkuroko@reddit

And let's not forget that the Supra started as a trim level of the Celica as well.

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420bIaze@reddit

As did the Camry

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lockpickerkuroko@reddit

There's also a Revelations episode about the 2000GT!

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italia06823834@reddit

The 2000GT is such s stunning car too.

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dang_it_bobby93@reddit

This is one I just don't understand why everybody seems to love. It's pretty cool don't get me wrong but I just don't see why it's so many people number 1 car of all time.

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lockpickerkuroko@reddit

It's the sound. A Carrera 2.7RS is a wonderful car, but how many of us will ever get the opportunity to really push it and enjoy the mechanical feel of the transmission, the weight transfer, the resonance of the engine, the road feel?

With an LFA, its signature feature, and the primary thing that makes it special for someone, is the sound. Which you and I can enjoy at home, with a nice pair of headphones.

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Odd-Refrigerator-425@reddit

Gonna get downvoted for this but I think maybe I just don't like V10's? I haven't heard this thing in person, but IDK every video I've ever seen of the car it does absolutely nothing for me.

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Porshuh@reddit

I imagine the hype is around the engine almost exclusively. Probably bolstered by the Toyota reputation for "build quality" even though nobody is going to be piling up miles with such an engine and, for example, the Audi/Lamborghini V10 is probably a more impressive engine in every way–it even has direct+port injectors just like Toyotas!

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acid_mayo@reddit

Surprisingly enough, there’s a lady on instagram who’s racked up 200,000 km on her LFA that I think she’s owned since new. So Toyota didn’t compromise on their build quality even for a bespoke V10

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TurboFucked@reddit

For me, it's the engine, the fact that Morizo raced it, the distinctly Japanese design language, and that it is built to Lexus standards. It's the 2010s version of the NSX, which is also another car that's widely adored.

The biggest issue with the LFA is the price. The other top tier Japanese legends (GT-R, NSX) were expensive, but the LFA eclipsed all of them with its $375k price tag.

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sharktoucher@reddit

Everyone who gets to drive it raves about it in a way you don't really see with other cars. Combined with an engine which lexus hasnt used in any production car since, combined with the fable surrounding the car, results in something thats like the vehicle equivalent of the movie redline

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EmergencyRace7158@reddit

I firmly believe it will go down as one of the greatest cars ever made. That engine alone is worth the price of entry - probably the greatest engine ever fitted to a production road car. I suspect the 700k-1m asking today will look extremely cheap in 10 years time. It feels a bit like where the F40 was 10 years ago.

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PartagasSD4@reddit

If they could’ve somehow made it cost 911 Turbo prices and not limited production we would be talking about it like the first gen NSX to this day.

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kimi_rules@reddit

The original NSX was also a failure, it wasn't until cars got so digitalised that the first Gen started to get appreciated.

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xdrought@reddit

Ah yes, the old 15 year production run failure...

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MotoMD@reddit

The other issue is lexus made the LFA and the F brand but never delivered on the rest of the range. Sure the ISF and GSF are cool cars but never were as good as the Germans. Had lexus made the LFA look more exotic and the F branded cars more exciting and better performing it would have moved the lexus brand up for sure.

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Carter0108@reddit

Hard disagree. The ISF is so much better than its German rivals.

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MotoMD@reddit

Na, I love the ISF but compared to the e92 m3 and the c63 it wasn’t as exciting or cool. It’s aged well and has reliability but otherwise kinda boring.

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Carter0108@reddit

Higher quality interior and hugely more reliable means it ranks a lot higher for me. I don't even consider most German cars now because they're more trouble than they're worth.

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Akross54@reddit

at a certain price point, you have to start offering more than just reliability and well made interiors.

especially if you’re marketing the cars as competitors to german performance.

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Carter0108@reddit

Like what? Why is pure performance the only metric to judge a car? Comfort and rode quality are just as important.

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Akross54@reddit

Because the ISF and GSF were meant to be performance vehicles? If I wanted ride quality and comfort, I’d just get an ES. I wouldn’t be looking at performance models.

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Carter0108@reddit

It's not an either/or though. You can want performance, quality and comfort. Why compromise on any?

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Akross54@reddit

when it comes to performance cars, you have to give up some comfort in order to achieve a tighter and more nimble feeling driving experience

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OrionZodiac@reddit

Shame they let F wither on the vine instead of following up

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V4_Sleeper@reddit

the title sounds dumb

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Successful_Ad_9707@reddit

That engine is something special. It's one of the best sounds to come out of a car ever. If I ever have more money than I know what to do with, I'm buying one, taking it to a shop, handing them a blank check and saying "put a gated manual in this thing". My god, the result would be epic.

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DaggumTarHeels@reddit

If money were no object, I'd take one over any Ferrari. Shit I can't think of many cars I'd take over the LFA. Maybe a Carrera GT.

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RandomGenera7ed@reddit

If anyone is an LFA fan looking for a great book to pick up, the Chief Engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi has written a book called 'LFA: Roar of an Angel' It has some gorgeous photos and fascinating development stories and is an excellent quality hardbound book.

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a61627214/lfa-lexus-lfa-book-review-roar-of-an-angel/

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SexyTimeSamet@reddit

Now that Toyotas relationship with Yamaha has ended, runors has been going around they are picking up the exbaust/sound engineers from all the straight piped g35 Vq35des at the street takeovers.

Trumpets for all.

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acid_mayo@reddit

Surprisingly enough, there’s a lady on instagram who’s racked up 200,000 km on her LFA that I think she’s owned since new. So Toyota didn’t compromise on their build quality even for a bespoke V10

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The_SHUN@reddit

It looks like an ugly fuck but the sound is just the best sounding engine of all time

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LexKing89@reddit

The LFA is incredible. I rode in one once and the engine sound is unmatched by anything I’ve ever heard.

If I could get a couple of those V10’s delivered to me for free with a team to install them that would great. I’d slap one in my SC300, an LC500, IS-F, LS430, and a MKIV Supra. 😏

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fhs@reddit

What a shit title

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Avrution@reddit

Still get goosebumps when I hear that beautiful engine whine away

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holzmann_dc@reddit

LOL. How many people here get 9:29 in the video?

The more you know, right u/JasonCammisa ?

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DrumminAnimal73@reddit

On the off chance Mr. Cammisa checks these Reddit comments, I just want to say these videos are so much fun to watch, and excellent job! ❤️

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agjios@reddit

More than an off chance. He’s a Redditor.

https://www.reddit.com/user/JasonCammisa/

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DrumminAnimal73@reddit

Rad! Comment stands! Lol 😆

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Voltstorm02@reddit

The LFA is probably my favorite car just because of that engine. That and the fact that I actually really like it's design.

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DanielG165@reddit

The microballoon fact, as well as the president going racing under a fake name have made me love the LFA even more. Details and factoids like that are just so cool to me.

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F1_Geek@reddit

The LFA is an absolute masterpiece. Second to none.

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MeanGene7676@reddit

Without the LFA, I wouldn't have my LC. Thank You Lexus!

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No-Theory7902@reddit

Just came here to say Jason is automotive journalist GOAT, Hagerty doesn’t pay him enough.

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Quatro_Leches@reddit

They sold all the cars they made it was a limited run very expensive car

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PancakesandGTA@reddit

After a decade and a bit, in 2023, they finally sold the last new LFA.

Legendary car but one has to admit it was a commercial failure

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V12MPG@reddit

That’s incredibly misleading though. It’s not like the last car was just sitting around and couldn’t find a buyer and had to be discounted to finally sell it. It was trading for multiples of its original price. The dealer just didn’t want to sell it because he wanted to keep it himself.

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Quatro_Leches@reddit

That’s by design it’s an ultra halo product

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Ghost17088@reddit

I never get these “LFA was a failure” posts. It was never meant to sell volume or make a ton of profit. It was meant to be a limited production showcase of what they were capable of. Aka the whole point of a halo car.

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ScipioAfricanvs@reddit

Because the anticipated hype at the time never materialized. There was no clamoring to get one, no ADM, etc. Compare it to cars like a Ford GT, Carrera GT, etc. At the time, people were just saying "why would I buy this when I can get similar performance for nearly half the price or a better experience for a similar price?"

It took years for people to appreciate it.

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orhantemerrut@reddit

There are a handful of cars I would consider paying a lot of my hard earned money to drive, and LFA tops that list. It's more than a dream car for me. It's a car for my id.

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AbjectAcanthisitta89@reddit

I have an LC500. Thank you, LFA roots.

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Advanced_Concern7910@reddit

It sounds absolutely spectacular, that clip at the end it is so special sounding.

It feels like it needs another 2-3,000 revs though. it might be just being used to how the v10 F1 cars scream, but it seems like its having to shift before the crescendo.

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