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View Full Version : And the plot thickens. Lexus LF-A mule unseats Porsche GT2 as King of the 'Ring


exitspeed
12-28-2007, 10:17 AM
http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/7/K/b/07_Lexus_lfa_concept.jpg
A Lexus LF-A mule has unofficially recorded a lap time on the Nordschleife of 7 minutes, 24 seconds. This is not in dispute. What is in dispute is how many seconds faster the LF-A's lap time is than that of the 2008 Porsche 911 GT2, the previous "King of the 'Ring" record holder. Wikipedia notes that the fastest 911 GT2 driven around the Ring posted a lap time of 7 minutes, 32 seconds and was driven by Walter Röhrl, Porsche's company test driver and accomplished WRC driver and road racing pilot. Porsche was so proud of the feat that it produced a snazzy video of the run that you can watch here. AutoExpress, however, which reported on the LF-A's remarkable lap time, claims that the fastest 911 GT2 lap time on the Nurburgring is 7 minutes, 25 seconds, but we could find no evidence on the web of a stock 911 GT2 ever posting a time that fast. Also note that a handful of other cars have posted lap times, but all are either tuner cars or limited production boutique cars like the Pagani Zonda F.

Nevertheless, the Lexus LF-A's time is remarkable and puts in a class normally populated by purpose-built tuner cars. Its 4.8L V10 churns out a reported 552bhp while slapping the needle against a 9,000 rpm redline. A 210 mph top speed is said to be the car's upper bound, which makes us shake our heads. This is, after all, the brand that brought us the sarcophagus of a car that is the LS sedan. The production LF-A should be able to repeat the performance, but we'll have to wait a while longer while the Lexus supercar finishes baking in the oven. In the meantime, for Pete's sake, someone ship a Corvette ZR1 to Germany!

[Source: AutoExpress]

SiI40sx
12-28-2007, 10:28 AM
***edit*** nm, i was thinking of the IS-F

PRADOgy
12-28-2007, 10:34 AM
Wow...that is fast... i too would like to see the vett up in this.. even though i hate that car..
callaway where you @? lol... i never see shit on that car..

isnt this LF-A car suppose to be the "new supra"

SiI40sx
12-28-2007, 10:35 AM
isnt this LF-A car suppose to be the "new supra"

supposemebly.......

exitspeed
12-28-2007, 10:40 AM
Wow...that is fast... i too would like to see the vett up in this.. even though i hate that car..
callaway where you @? lol... i never see shit on that car..

isnt this LF-A car suppose to be the "new supra"

No, it's the Lexus version. The Toyota FT-HS is the concept for what is replacing the Supra.
http://i.treehugger.com/files/toyota-ft-hs-11.jpg

Lexus LF-A = $100,000+
Toyota FT-HS = $65,000 (GTR range)

HaLo
12-28-2007, 10:41 AM
oooh nice news... seems like Japan is going nuts on making fast cars that the common man will not be able to afford...

Phlip
12-28-2007, 10:48 AM
Maybe they're banking on the common man in the US being able to "upgrade," which makes perfect sense with an impending recession.

murda-c
12-28-2007, 10:49 AM
A 550+ horsepower v10 with a 9000 rpm redline is all i want.

Is that so much to ask for? Really?

usdm180sx
12-28-2007, 10:55 AM
And so the rat race begins...again. Reminds me of the 90's when Nissan released the z32. Then Mazda released the FD, Mitsubishi released the 3000gt., etc. All the cars except the FD had 300hp. Of course Toyota waited until everyone else released their cars before they came out with the Mk IV Supra, and they one upped everyone with 320hp. Deja vu.

exitspeed
12-28-2007, 11:20 AM
And so the rat race begins...again. Reminds me of the 90's when Nissan released the z32. Then Mazda released the FD, Mitsubishi released the 3000gt., etc. All the cars except the FD had 300hp. Of course Toyota waited until everyone else released their cars before they came out with the Mk IV Supra, and they one upped everyone with 320hp. Deja vu.

These cars are in a different class all together though. We're not talking about $30-$40,000 cars. We're talking $60,000-$100,000+ cars now.

That's all great, but the battle most of us are going to care about is the one that just recently started with the release of the 1 Series.

Entry level RWD coupes. That's the segment I care more about. All these Japanese Super cars are unattainable for me (by choice). I like hearing about it though.

HWYKING
12-28-2007, 11:28 AM
All these Japanese Super cars are unattainable for me (by choice). I like hearing about it though.

same here. i didnt know they were even testing this car yet. nice thread Exit!

exitspeed
12-28-2007, 11:33 AM
same here. i didnt know they were even testing this car yet. nice thread Exit!

They've actually been testing it for some time now.

usdm180sx
12-28-2007, 01:27 PM
These cars are in a different class all together though. We're not talking about $30-$40,000 cars. We're talking $60,000-$100,000+ cars now.

That's all great, but the battle most of us are going to care about is the one that just recently started with the release of the 1 Series.

Entry level RWD coupes. That's the segment I care more about. All these Japanese Super cars are unattainable for me (by choice). I like hearing about it though.

My point was that the market is cyclical but the essence is the same: Supercar peformance at affordable prices, inflation adjusted to 2007.

As far as the 1-series? It weighs and costs almost as much as a 3 series coupe. What's the point?

There's always a bigger fish, faster car, etc. This is classic Japanese philosophy: Copy it but make it better. Anyway, I plan to get a GT-R in 2 years or so, after all the bugs have been worked out, unless something better comes along (like the LF-A).

exitspeed
12-28-2007, 01:34 PM
As far as the 1-series? It weighs and costs almost as much as a 3 series coupe. What's the point?



Actually it's 239lbs lighter. 335i coupe starts at $40k a 135 starts at $35.

BustedS13
12-28-2007, 02:13 PM
Actually it's 239lbs lighter. 335i coupe starts at $40k a 135 starts at $35.
and both will be worth half or less in five years.

usdm180sx
12-28-2007, 04:26 PM
Actually it's 239lbs lighter. 335i coupe starts at $40k a 135 starts at $35.

Yep, that's too narrow a gap to justify the price and the car. They need to make the car weigh around 2700lbs. You can't hide weight with more power!

HWYKING
12-28-2007, 05:28 PM
Yep, that's too narrow a gap to justify the price and the car. They need to make the car weigh around 2700lbs. You can't hide weight with more power!

norm is right on this one. if the price was maybe around 27k, then you would see a reason for bring the 1 series out. but its more preference on which model you like more.