Listening to the LFA’s V10 sing can still send shivers down your spine.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the legendary Lexus LFA. At the time of production, the exotic supercar was a radical departure for Lexus, a company synonymous with luxury sedans and coupes, and served as a halo car for the brand. Production was limited to just 500 examples, but there are still some LFAs lurking in the used car classifieds looking for new owners. It may have since been usurped by the Lexus LC 500 as the brand’s halo car, but the LFA is still absolutely remarkable.
As this video by Motorsport Magazine demonstrates, the Lexus LFA can still turn heads ten years later. In the short video, the LFA gets taken for a spin to see how its performance lives up ten years later, but it’s worth the watch just for the noises and drifting exhibitions.
Motorsport Magazine/YouTube
Motorsport Magazine/YouTube
Motorsport Magazine/YouTube
We don’t get to see the LFA get taken for a top-speed run, and the driver instead blasts from zero to 260 km/h (162 mph), a fair bit short of Lexus’s claimed V-max of 202 mph. Granted, there are faster supercars on the market now and there were faster cars when it launched, but none of them sound as sublime as the LFA. What you’re hearing is the sweet sound of a 4.8-liter V10 that was co-developed by Yamaha to produce 552 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque on its way to a stratospheric 9,000-rpm rev limit. Ten years on, listening to the LFA’s V10 sing can still send shivers down your spine, which is one of the reasons that the car is still so special today.
Lexus
Lexus
All that power is sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic sequential gearbox, allowing the LFA to get its tail out in a glorious drifting display at the end of the video. The first run doesn’t go smoothly with the driver losing control, but no damage is done and a better attempt follows.
Will Lexus ever build a successor to the LFA? The automaker hasn’t ruled out the possibility. In 2018, Lexus Group Vice President and General Manager Jeff Bracken told CarBuzz that Lexus needs more “halo representation” and acknowledged that dealers have been requesting a successor. Sadly, Lexus has remained tight-lipped ever since. If Lexus does decide to build a new LFA, it will have to be incredibly special to live up to the original car’s legacy.
Lexus
Lexus