MOTOR

LEXUS LFA

This automotive banshee took 10 years

to perfect – it was time well spent

E

ach Lexus LFA buyer, a global

total of just 500, received with

their car a special book detailing

the incredible decade-long

development process. The first sentence

of the book reads: “In the beginning is the

engine.” There is so much to enjoy and

discuss in the LFA, but every experience

is dominated by the bespoke 4.8-litre V10

nestled front-midships.

Numbers fail to do it justice. In this day

and age, 412kW/480Nm are impressive,

but not spectacular, though a 9000rpm

redline still raises eyebrows. However,

in terms of connection and the ability to

illicit an emotional response, only the

Speciale’s V8 comes close to the LFA’s

1LR-GUE – nothing has yet surpassed it.

It fires with a neighbourhood-waking

flare of revs and settles to a buzzing

idle. Once warm, cylinder de-activation

often means just five cylinders fire in

a futile attempt to save fuel. The car is

not particularly happy at low speeds;

the engine is perfectly tractable, but the

single-clutch transaxle feels clumsy.

If there’s one item that dates the LFA,

it’s the gearbox, not helped by it only

using odd-numbered gears in auto mode.

Best to flick it to Sport and use the

gorgeous, cold-to-the-touch magnesium-

alloy paddles.

74 march 2015 motormag.com.au

BEST OF NA: V10