Absolutley gorgeous design, perhaps inspired by this one. similar era:

 

When a Ford GT roars by, do you automatically think "Oh, look. It's like a Focus"? Do you automatically associate an R8 V10 with an A3?
What Lexus is doing is more like Seiko offering limited-edition Spring Drives or Grand Seikos (yes, they can be very meticulously built with a price and rarity to match), without hiding behind someone else's label.

 

A ford Focus is a 4 banger I think so very hard to confuse with a Ford GT. I thought at the time Ford GT was priced on the high side at $140K. The R8 is priced very reasonably considering its relation to Gallardo and better performance but it is still an Audi.

I don't think anyone has an issue with Toyota making a fast car but its price wont match its performance and certainly a Lexus can never be called exclusive just the same as a Sekio. Lexus failed at reinventing the Corvette ZR1 both in price and performance and some will argue the Vette looks far better although LFA has the much nicer interior. So yeah a Lexus should be priced like a high end Toyota and Corvette like a Cadillac and that's how it goes son.

 

Yeah; the 2000 GT had a lot of Euro cues in it. I remember years ago that there was supposed to be a 3000 GT (not the DSM) to replace the Supra.

I'm sure the Lexus will have its following. I would take one if offered to pay for one (assuming I'm a multi-millionaire). An SC400 was one of my favorite cars in middle school/high school and when my dad got me a 92 to use for college, I was amazed by everything. Before than I had an MB 300E that shut down on the freeway in the fast lane (one of the scariest moments in my life) and a couple of 735i's that fell apart after a year or two.

 

Easy enough to identify as a Ford. Look at the badge, remember? You are saying that the badge itself confers exclusivity, not the particular example in question.
So did a lot of people. Me included. Yet Ford went on to sell over four thousand of them. Meanwhile, Cadillac (which is a premium brand, remember) couldn't give away XLR-V's at $40k less. The Ford GT sold well on the basis of it being a damn fine car, regardless of the badge. The GT outperformed not only the 360 Modena against which it was benchmarked, but also outperformed the Challenge Stradale. And it performed just as well as (or better than) the 360's replacement, the F430. Yet did that stop people from lining up for the F430 and paying what we think are exorbitant prices for secondhand cars? Nope. Just because the Ford GT was worth the price didn't mean the F430 wasn't also worth the price. Clearly it was.

By the same logic, most Porsches and Ferraris don't have prices that match their performance. A ZR1 makes them obsolete; a standard Vette at half that price makes Porsche/Ferrari look ridiculous. And any liter-class bike does the same to the 'Vette. Where do you draw the line?
Seiko can be exclusive too. Anyone with appreciation for fine watches won't confuse a Credor or Grand Seiko for a Timex. There's a difference between a badge snob and a connoisseur.

You seriously think they tried to reinvent the ZR1? The LFA project started in 2000. The first concept appeared in 2005. Isn't that before the ZR1? And some will argue the LFA looks far better, so where do you make a value judgement based on divergent opinions?

 

I'm defining 'worth' as being a bit more than what some dumbass is prepared to pay for it.

 

Exactly and that's how good a car needs to be to charge a retarded price like this. Think 2026. How special will the LF-A's performance be then?

They've proved that they can make an over-priced car at a loss. Well done. MG Rover could have taught them that.

 

So are many of you basing your conclusion on just HP, because that's what it seems like. So in that case, a 458, LP560, is all overpriced since a $90k Dodge Viper ACR has more hp and a faster ring time than quarter-million dollar exotics all with red-neck tech. I don't see how many of you can't justify the cost. Do you know how expensive a CFRP monocoque is? How expensive a developmental one-off engine is? It might not have the HP, but this car certainly doesn't have any components shared with other models or decades of supercar building under the belt, which can keep costs down. EVERYTHING on the car is built in house. Compare that to the other supercar makers out there that only emphasize on big power from a motor sourced from another manufacturer. For the 10 years it took to develop this supercar from scratch, it is very impressive what Toyota has done. No other supercar maker can say that: Saleen, Pagani, Koenigsegg, Ascari, Gumpert, Mosler, etc., but they get away with charging so much. Plus my money will go to a car maker that knows how to make a car. You cannot beat factory quality, precision, and reliability. A supercar with Toyota reliability, why the heck not?

 

At the end of the day it's only worth what people will pay for it. If it sells for what they're asking for it then it's worth that much. It might not be worth that much to you, but it may be to somebody.

 

So the car is worth it because Toyota tried real hard?

 

But then thousands of people are stupid enough to invest in e-mail cons, so shifting just 500 shouldn't be a problem.

 

If the LFA truly moved the supercar establishment forward as cars like the 458 Italia, Mclaren MP4-C12, and Noble M600 did. And if it was priced comparatively with the competition then that coupled with its artificially created rarity would make it worth what those cars are. But for them to charge close to 599 and LP640 money is a little presumptious. I own a Lexus and Lexus is an amazing brand and the quality is amazing but those qualities mean nothing in the rarified air of the supercar arena.

And furthermore if another person says its because Toyota developed the whole car by itself without outside suppliers I will scream. The main component on the car ( engine ) was built only with help and engineering resources of a supplier ( Yamaha). The braking system is a Brembo design and thats just what we can see. The LFA is a car with a very long development but don't let Lexus marketing speak confuse you.

Ok so lets go over the things that its extremely long development period still missed, which is unexcusable for what is being bandied about as a clean sheet revolutionary design.

1. Single clutch gearbox ( so I can buy a $70k M3 with a DCT one but my $375k LFA does not have one? )
2. Direct injection ( maybe they will throw in a free IS350 with the purchase so you get a DI Lexus)
3. 3200 lb kerb weight ( again no breakthrough as the competition is 100-200 lbs lighter)
4. Performance ( An $110k ZR1 would show this car the door on the Ring and the dragstrip) With better power to weight ratios the competition promises to be faster.
5. Adjustable suspension ( you would think a Lexus would give you the ability to enjoy a compliant ride sometimes ) Ferrari has really become at the forefront of technology in regards to chassis.
6. Electronic chassis aids ( Ferrari is now on its second gen of the E diff and even upstart Mclaren has an advanced electronic diff. )

 

You also mention Yamaha's hand in the development of the car. Yamaha has been a partner with Toyota for 40 years. They were responsible for the port work of the heads not development of the whole engine. Yamaha is no different than what AMG is for MB.

 

No, because it is a culmination of 70 years of experience in the industry on what Toyota thinks is the best approach to making a modern-day super car. The focus was more on the driving experience than the power. If it was about the power, there have always been cheaper alternatives as we all know.

 

The main component of any car is not the engine. The underlying structure is and in this case, the carbon monocoque is built in-house. The carbon fiber is also weaved in-house, not bought in pre-manufactured sheets. Not even Ferrari and Porsche made the monocoques for the Enzo and CGT in-house; those came from an outside supplier.



Check some initial drive comments:
"The LFA is the most exciting car to come out of Japan since the GT-R, as it should be for the money Lexus is charging. But it’s more involving than the Nissan and a much more special experience. In many ways, its closest natural rival is the Ferrari 599 GTB, although the Lexus is more visceral and exciting and better balanced and more nimble."

"what was a shock - particularly after Lexus claimed that its new supercar is still a luxury car at heart - is just how driver-focused it is. Think 430 Scuderia levels of driver involvement, agility and usability."


Name another front-engined luxury GT that has been described like this. Neither the GT-R nor the ZR1 are luxury, and they sure haven't been described in this way.

Anyone who buys anything more than a liter bike for performance or a Timex for telling time is a dumbass sucker.