High Priced Toyota

[Giovanni Jaramillo]

Click here -->Lexus LF-A.

The "F" stands for "Fuji" as in the Japanese Fuji Speedway circuit (where Formula 1 races among other series). A bit high-priced but not a bad shape/design. I'd take the Audi R8 over it though.

[Jeff Shyu]

was this the one that was on topgear?

design and preference aside, i'm for anything that promotes development of high end sports cars from a "normal" company.

bring back the days of gas guzzling performance monsters..

watched a replay of Capt Slow driving the Veyron last night, something about the tires only lasting for 12 minutes at 250 mph, but it's ok, because the gas will only last 5 minutes?..

[Steve Ekstrand]

Wow! A Toyota plagued with "Intended Acceleration".

[Bob Beamesderfer]

LFA is the coupe version of the IS F

480 pound-feet of torque, 412 horsepower, 4.8 liter V-10 engine, top speed 202 mph, 0-60 w/two occupants 3.6 seconds.

[Aaron Goldsmith]

LFA is the coupe version of the IS F

480 pound-feet of torque, 412 horsepower, 4.8 liter V-10 engine, top speed 202 mph, 0-60 w/two occupants 3.6 seconds.

What.

[Steve Ekstrand]

I'd say its a whole lot more than just the coupe version of the IS F..... At least it better be for the price tag....

[Mike Shin]

LFA is the coupe version of the IS F

480 pound-feet of torque, 412 horsepower, 4.8 liter V-10 engine, top speed 202 mph, 0-60 w/two occupants 3.6 seconds.

I thought the ISF was from the IS family of Sedans and the LFA was a completely different platform, the only similarities being they are from the "F" lineage.
Kind of like the M3, M5, M6 and the M Roadster.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

LFA is the coupe version of the IS F

480 pound-feet of torque, 412 horsepower, 4.8 liter V-10 engine, top speed 202 mph, 0-60 w/two occupants 3.6 seconds.

I thought the ISF was from the IS family of Sedans and the LFA was a completely different platform, the only similarities being they are from the "F" lineage.
Kind of like the M3, M5, M6 and the M Roadster.

Yeah, coupe version of the IS F doesn't do it justice and it is on its own platform. More accurate to say it's another in the F line.

[John Stimson]

That's kind of like saying that the Acura NSX is the coupe version of the Accord V6.

[Steve Ekstrand]

Ford GT the coupe version of the Taurus?

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Corvette -> Chevette

[Doug Kott]

Don't you guys read Road & Track?

Here's a video we did a while back. You might recognize the venue.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/video/index ... 6368353001" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The sliding shots were a blast!

--Doug

[Bob Pl]

Don't you guys read Road & Track?

Here's a video we did a while back. You might recognize the venue.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/video/index ... 6368353001" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The sliding shots were a blast!

--Doug

Micro slalom cones to save damage to the limited edition?

[Doug Kott]

Don't you guys read Road & Track?

Here's a video we did a while back. You might recognize the venue.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/video/index ... 6368353001" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The sliding shots were a blast!

--Doug

Micro slalom cones to save damage to the limited edition?

Yeah, we use the small cones for our slalom test all the time. They take up less space in the Pelican cases for the road test gear...and are easier on paint!

--Doug

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Don't you guys read Road & Track?

Here's a video we did a while back. You might recognize the venue.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/video/index ... 6368353001" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The sliding shots were a blast!

--Doug

Looks like an entertaining car. Did you do the narration?

[Doug Kott]

Yeah, that's me, trying to sound natural while reading from a script. I hate being in front of the camera, so I'm glad we can at least do after-the-fact narration.

--Doug

[Kurt Rahn]

Don't you guys read Road & Track?

Here's a video we did a while back. You might recognize the venue.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/video/index ... 6368353001" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The sliding shots were a blast!

--Doug

Just finished reading the article today, in fact. So when you get a car like that for testing, does the whole office get a crack at it, or are the folks assigned to the story the only ones who get to flog it? And if the former, are there any job openings over there...like "auto fluffer" or "part-time janitor" or something?

[Robert Puertas]

Don't you guys read Road & Track?

Here's a video we did a while back. You might recognize the venue.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/video/index ... 6368353001" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The sliding shots were a blast!

--Doug

Just finished reading the article today, in fact. So when you get a car like that for testing, does the whole office get a crack at it, or are the folks assigned to the story the only ones who get to flog it? And if the former, are there any job openings over there...like "auto fluffer" or "part-time janitor" or something?

Ha!

Hey Doug, is the "car washer" position still open?

[Doug Kott]

Ideally, we get the car in for a week, and as many of us drive it as possible, but sometimes the availability of the car is limited. The LFA was pretty tightly controlled, trucked to our photo location (the driveway of a seminary, of all things, near Santa Barbara that we had rented) and then trucked to El Toro for instrumented testing and general flog-it-around-the-runways impressions.

Wish I coulda autocrossed it....SK1?

It makes up for all the Hyundai Elantra trips I've been on!!

Car washer? Sure! The best part would be drying it off at 200 mph!

--Doug

[Aaron Goldsmith]

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/23/brea ... c/autoblog+(Autoblog" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Yeah, that's me, trying to sound natural while reading from a script. I hate being in front of the camera, so I'm glad we can at least do after-the-fact narration.

--Doug

It's harder to get the pacing right while on camera. I only got to the dry-run stage at Autobytel because they laid me off the day I was supposed to go to the Ford Flex launch and do my first video. Also missed out on driving the GT-R that afternoon. :mrt:

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Ideally, we get the car in for a week, and as many of us drive it as possible, but sometimes the availability of the car is limited. The LFA was pretty tightly controlled, trucked to our photo location (the driveway of a seminary, of all things, near Santa Barbara that we had rented) and then trucked to El Toro for instrumented testing and general flog-it-around-the-runways impressions.

--Doug

Sort of like the GT-R. Nissan let us have the car for 72 hours and we had to pick it up and drop it off.

[KJ Christopher]

http://www.autoweek.com/article/2010062 ... /100629952" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The chief test driver for the Lexus LF-A sports car was killed in a crash on a public road near the famed Nürburgring where a prototype of a special Nürburgring edition of the car has been undergoing testing, according to sources in Germany.

The 67-year-old Japanese test driver apparently collided with a test car driven by two BMW test drivers outside the 'Ring earlier on Wednesday. The BMW drivers were injured but were expected to survive.

Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/2010062 ... z0riN1d1KJ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Jeff Shyu]

^you're about 3.5 hours behind..

[Doug Kott]

Bob,

That whole situation at AutoByTel was brutal. Sorry you got caught up in that. Do you know Ron Perry? Ron and I are veterans of many photo shoots!

Aaron,

Sad news about Toyota's chief test driver. I'd never met him, but knew of him. Regardless of who was at fault, it sounded like a classic case of going too fast on public roads.

--Doug