#43 - LmFAo
You date a V12 but you marry a V8…..this has for a long time now been my philosophy when it comes to cars and the engines which power them. Yes 12 cylinders have the romance, the majesty and the gusto but dear lord!…. turn your back for one second and they have emptied your wallet and raided your piggy bank at the same time.
8 cylinders on the other hand and you have met your soul mate for life. They are reliable, still put a big smile on your face and you don’t get PTSD every time you see a warning light appear on the dash.
But imagine for a moment that we lived in a world where you could enjoy the best of both. Have your cake and eat it to….. allow me to introduce to you the V10.
Now I have to start with the bad stuff as this is after all, an objective and balanced piece of automotive journalism. The V10 is fundamentally flawed.
The reason for this comes from its layout not being inherently balanced in design. Unlike a straight 6 or V12 or a flat 6 or a V8, the 2 banks of straight 5 cylinders which make up the V10 and their corresponding firing sequence create a second order rocking motion which I am told by someone infinitely more knowledgeable than myself can only be cured by the addition of a balance shaft or shafts. The result: one of the key underlying characteristics of the V10 comes in the form of its slightly lumpier running. You wouldn’t see a V10 in a Rolls Royce that’s for sure!
In fact, the amount of modern day performance cars that have been produced with a V10 powering them is actually a very short list. The main reason being that the gap in the market where a V8 is lacking on the power front and a V12 is too large and heavy for optimum use is miniscule…especially in the age of forced induction and turbo charging.
That said, after all is said and done, if a manufacturer were to decide that a V10 was the only possible solution for their powertrain decision, it must be a pretty special car indeed.
Now Lexus has historically never been a manufacturer synonymous with performance cars. When someone mentions the name, its all too easy to conjure up images of an overweight saloon parked up outside the local country club. In fact, popular opinion would suggest that the Lexus SC may well be the worst sports car to ever grace our planet this side of the millennium.
However, just like a solar eclipse, once in a while all the stars align and something magical can occur…..which brings us onto the Lexus LFA.
The LFA started life many moons before the final road car appeared. Back in early 2000, a young Mr Toyota (aka Akio Toyoda) gave the green light for the company to start an after hours R&D project. Making use of Toyota’s F1 technology and cutting-edge design and manufacturing resources, Toyoda wanted to showcase to the world their industry leading performance engineering capabilities.
His first step was to employ chief engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi. Tanahashi is an interesting chap in his own right having been responsible for (amongst other things) developing the ST165 Toyota Celica GT-Four in which Carlos Sainz would end up winning his 1st WRC Drivers Title in 1990. Tanahashi was given a blank canvas to work with along with a seemingly limitless company credit card. In addition, Toyota’s own master driver Hiromu Naruse was brought onboard to assist with chassis and handling development.
Fast forward a couple of years to January 2005 and the Detroit Motorshow; Lexus unveil their LF-A sports car concept. An all-aluminium front-mid engined sports car powered by a V10 supposedly displacing less than 5 litres and capable of in excess of 200mph. Although the study was no more than a concept at this stage, such was the feedback it received, Toyoda had to begin seriously contemplating the idea of turning it into a road car.
2 years later Lexus returned to Detriot with another version of the LF-A concept however this time with a host of revisions and a no compromise decision by Toyoda that the car would make it to production regardless of cost. The aluminium body had been replaced with a carbon fibre reinforced plastic one which although dropped 100kg off the overall mass of the car, also was not technologically ready to be used on a production road car. The car had improved dynamics, a real interior and possibly the best bit of it all…..a functioning V10 engine.
Built in collaboration with Yamaha and code named the 1LR-GUE, the powertrain propelling the LFA was to be a bespoke 4.8-litre dry sump V10 putting out 553bhp at a spine tingling 8,700rpm. Built from a host of exotic aluminium, magnesium and titanium alloys, the size of the engine was equivalent to a traditional V8 yet weighed in the same as a V6.
But it wasn’t just the components utilised which made this such a special engine…..it was the unwavering focus on design detail that truly set the powertrain apart. A huge focus on achieving low inertia and low friction combustion within the engine allowed the V10 to rev from idle to redline at 9,000rpm in just six-tenths of a second. So responsive in fact was the engine that Lexus had to design a brand new digital rev counter to accurately keep up with the its ability to gain and lose revolutions.
In the words of Tanahashi “what we needed – and what we created – was a car that moved the driver in more ways than one……the LFA was a car that stirred all the senses.”
That said, the car was still a long way from reaching customer hands as Toyoda was keen to thoroughly test its motorsport credentials. In 2008 and 2009, prototype LFA’s would compete in the arduous and challenging Nurburging 24hr race and it was not until the end of 2009 that Lexus released full specifications for the final version of the car which would commence production at the end of 2010.
Just 500 cars would be hand built at the Motomachi plant with each V10 assembled and signed off by a single engineer. Such was the bespoke nature of each vehicle that a car specific 3,500-page reference document is retained by Lexus with records of the exact specification and production details in case of future enquiries.
However, as bespoke and technologically advance as the LFA was, its arrival came in the wake of a global financial crisis which left many a prospective customer struggling to digest the £375,000 list price for a car from a manufacturer with no real provenance in the space. What’s more, even at this price Lexus were reportedly making a £100k loss on every unit they built such was the final bill for the program. The story took an even more tragic turn when Toyota test driver Hiromu Naruse tragically lost his life just outside of the Nürburgring driving a prototype of the soon to be launched track focused LFA Nürburgring Edition.
I cannot help but feel melancholy when you think about the blood, sweat and tears that went into building the LFA. It was a huge gamble for Toyoda to actually bring the car to market and while brilliant in so many ways, I think it was a decade too early and its sonorous abilities sadly fell on deaf ears. I recall a RM Sotheby’s auction back in 2017 where a 1,500 mile car laboured across the block to make a measly £310k. Hindsight’s a lovely thing but I salute the individual who pulled the trigger on it that day and hope they still have it.
Today, they trade hands by appointment and behind closed doors for anywhere from £700k-£900k depending on which Chinese whispers you listen to. In fact a lovely, delivery miles, red car sits listed for sale at £1mm at time of writing……and you know what, if I had the cash I would be asking my bankers in Switzerland (UBS not Credit Suisse obvs!) to move some money around for me to acquire said vehicle. In a world where average examples of the comparatively common Porsche Carrera GT are changing hands for in excess of £1-1.1mm, the LFA looks like an absolute bargain!
Happy Motoring,
Greg