Lexus LFA : V-10 Engine, Sequential Box And Carbon Fiber Body
It's been a long wait, with many a mouth-watering exhibit at auto shows, and news about spectacular laps round the Nurburgring, but at last, Lexus has revealed details of its exciting 200 mph exotic car: the Lexus LFA
How exotic? It is a competitor for the really exotic cars like the Pagani Zonda, Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, which is now out of production, and Spyker C12.
Big air intakes, Simple fastback style
There is hardly anything different about the styling of the LFA compared with the prototypes shown at auto shows. This is an aggressive looking coupe, with a wide low grille, flanked by triangular side grilles for the front brakes, and a curved front end of the long hood. Also, there is a wide very shallow intake above the main grille.
The headlamps sweep back as is now standard on anything from the cheapest super mini upwards, and the simple fastback lines are rather spoiled by quirky rear quarter lights.
There are large air intakes in the flanks, forward of the rear wheels, with smaller ones above, and these presumably feed the rear-mounted coolant radiators, a feature of the LFA prototypes.
Also very distinctive at the rear are very large triangular air outlets below simple rear lamps clusters, and the triple central exhaust pipes, leaving plenty of space for the diffuser. All this adds up to an exciting looking coupe with a drag coefficient of 0.31, which is up with the leaders. A convertible is expected later.
At 177 inches long by 74.6 inches wide, the LFA is fairly compact, being 5 inches longer than the Aston Martin V-12 Vantage, and 5 inches shorter than the Ferrari F599 Fiorano.
The performance is in the right ball park, with a 0-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds and a maximum speed of 202 mph. Also, there will be exclusivity, as Lexus will make only 500 units, actually rather a lot for an exotic car at this price.
Front engine, rear-mounted gearbox
To start with, the Lexus LFA, which has such a dull name, differs from most exotic cars in that the engine is mounted up front, but just behind the front axle. This is a V-10 of 4.8 liters, inspired by the compact Toyota V-10 Formula 1 engine. The engine is said to be no larger than V-8s of similar capacity.
As is common on supercars of this type, the gearbox is mounted at the rear in unit with the final-drive gears to give a front:rear weight distribution of 48:52 per cent. In fact, to get the gearbox further back than normal, it is mounted above the final drive gears.
Engine to rival a Lambo V-10
The 4,805 cc engine has an angle of 72 degrees between banks to keep it narrow and give good balance. It produces 552 bhp at 8,700 rpm, with the red line being set at 9,000 rpm, and it will make a noise to rival a Lambo V-10!
There is plenty of torque, so long as you keep the engine revving, with 353 lb ft (480 Nm) torque at 6,800 rpm. Lexus says that 90 per cent of the maximum torque is available from 3,700 rpm to 9,000 rpm, which does not sound too bad.
Included in the specification are dual variable valve timing, equal length exhaust manifolds and high-volume, 12-hole fuel injectors.
Other features include individual throttle bodies for each cylinder, as on BMW M V-8 and V-12 engines, and a dry sump, which allows the engine to be mounted low down in the body.
How did Lexus/Toyota get to the position where they could build such an engine? Well, they don't, not alone that is, as the engine has been developed in conjunction with Yamaha who has built quite a number of high-performance engines for Toyota over the years.
The sequential six-speed transmission is controlled by paddle shifts, and has been designed to provide very fast shifting.
Carbon fiber body structure
Where Lexus has surprised its competitors is not just in opting to use a body that is largely carbon fiber but also in deciding to make it in-house. This contrasts with the situation at Mercedes where the SLS AMG has an aluminum extruded frame against the carbon fiber hull of the previous SLR McLaren.
Carbon fiber saves 220 lb (100 kg)
In fact, 65% of the body structure and panels are carbon fiber, and 35% are aluminum, so it is not completely carbon fiber. Even so, Lexus says that the use of carbon fiber has saved 220 lb (100 kg) compared with an all-aluminum body, which is pretty good. Among the non-carbon fiber parts are the doors, which have aluminum frames and glass fiber skins.
Inside, you get a typically compact interior with a simple circular electronic display giving all the information you need, a contoured steering wheel and hip-hugging seats.
Toyota and Lexus now have quite a lot of experience with double wishbone suspension, as used at the front, while a multi-link set-up is installed at the rear to control toe-in. Most of the suspension components, including the dampers, are aluminum. There are anti-roll bars front and rear.
Big wheels and carbon-ceramic discs
Lexus has opted for 20-inch forged aluminium BBS wheels shod with asymmetric Bridgestone tires: 265/35ZR20 at the front and 305/30ZR20 at the rear, which should be fat enough to transmit the power. The difference in width front-to-rear will tend to promote under steer.
As you might expect, the cross-drilled brake discs are carbon-ceramic, which is more or less obligatory on this type of car these days, those at the front being 15.3 inches (390 mm) diameter, and those at the rear 14.2 inches (360 mm) diameter, which is big.
Interestingly, Lexus is using electric power assistance for the steering, although this method has not won too much praise for feel, which of course is very important in a car of this type. It remains to be seen how much feel there is.
Genuinely light weight
And what about the weight of this carbon-fiber based exotic car? Lexus quotes a curb weight of 3,260 lb (1,480 kg) for the base model, but a maximum curb weight of 3,480 lb (1,580 kg).
How does that compare? Very well as far as front-engined exotica goes. For example, both the Aston Martin V12 Vantage and Ferrari Fiorano weigh in at around 3,700 lb (1,680 kg). However, as you would expect, some mid-engined exotic cars are lighter: the Pagani Zonda F weighs 2,710 lb (1,230 kg), and the venerable McLaren F1 weighed 2,504 lb (1,137 kg), these two having full carbon fiber structures.
Even the Porsche Carrera GT is lighter, at 3,040 lb (1,380 kg), which just shows that mid-engined is lighter. But if you want a top-performing, lightweight front-engined exotic car, and like the styling, then the Lexus LFA could be for you.