When it comes to Monaco, there are only a certain number of cars that you can say fit in with the high-brow and elite stature of the city-state. No offense to these fellows, but Honda Civics and Mitsubishi Lancers aren’t exactly the type of cars residents of Monaco prefer to drive.
One car that definitely has a place in Monaco is the Lexus LF-A and it was present in full bloom at the 2010 Top Marques Monaco event. The folks over at GT-Spirit were even able to take the car out for a quick spin and even took the time to shoot this video of the supercar as it was being unloaded out of its trailer. Thanks to the enclosed space of the trailer, the sound of the LF-A’s monster V10 engine gets even louder.
If that revving engine doesn’t give you the chill bumps, we certainly don’t know what will.
For the longest time, the Nissan GT-R has held the mantle of ’Asia’s baddest sports car’ only to have a few pretenders come knocking and challenging it for its throne. Whereas most have failed in doing so, one car has arrived that is poised to take the title off of the GT-R. That, of course, is the Lexus LF-A. It’s Godzilla versus Mothra all over again in an all-Japan free for all!
Fortunately, Motor Trend managed to pit these two Japanese titans against each other in a friendly little quarter-mile sprint to the finish line. Despite the large disparity in price tags - the LF-A sells for $400,000 while the GT-R comes at about 1/5th of the price at around $85,000 - the race should be a little more competitive than what the pricing suggests, especially since both cars come with their own decidedly unique advantages.
Check out how the race unfolds and since we’re not keen on giving away spoilers, we’ll settle for a little teaser instead:
If you’re already shelling out $375,000 for a Lexus LF-A, what’s another $75,000, right?
That’s what it’s going to cost when you decide to fore-go your "standard" LF-A for a tricked out Nurburgring Edition of the Lexus sports car. For the extra 75 grand, you’re going to get a performance upgrade that gives your LF-A a 4.8-liter V10 engine that produces around 562 horsepower - 10 horsepower more than the regular type - and a modified transmission that cuts back on the supercar’s gear-shift time to 0.15 seconds - down from 0.20 seconds from the traditional package. Additional upgrades for the Nurburgring Edition include a tuned-up suspension system, black mesh-type alloy wheels with dedicated high-grip tires for better handling, a larger front spoiler, a fixed rear wing for improved high-speed down force, four exterior colors to choose from – whitest white, orange, black and matte black, which will then be complemented by three interior colors – red, black and violet.
And that’s not all.
Lexus is also throwing in a number of other perks, including, a private parking, co-pilot ride, and a one night stay at the Lindner Congress and Motorsport Hotel Nürburgring where buyers will also receive a private training with a Nürburgring chief driving instructor, a Nürburgring branded jacket, and finally, a one-year annual pass valid for driving on the Green Hell.
We already know that the 2011 Lexus LF-A will come in only 500 units. What we didn’t know – at least until Lexus announced it a few days ago – was that 50 of these LF-As are going to be that of the special-run Nurburgring Edition.
Built to commemorate the supercar’s third go-round in the Nurburgring 24 Hours race this coming May, the Lexus LF-A Nurburgring Edition were built with a slew of special upgrades, including a bigger front spoiler, a fixed wing on the back, fin-type of side spoilers, and stickier compound tires. In addition to that, these special edition LFAs will also get a moderate boost in power to over 560 horsepower. It’s not a lot compared to the standard model, but it’s still significant enough to warrant a mention, especially given that the supercar already comes with a 4.8-liter V10 engine.
And if that’s not enough for any of you, the LF-A Nurbugring Edition will also come with a 1-year pass on the race track, plus individual instructions on Nurburgring itself.
Whatever else this special-edition LF-A has with it, we do know that while the orange paint job really doesn’t do the car any aesthetic favors, it doesn’t take away from the car’s exclusivity, which, with only 50 units, is already as exclusive a car as you can find anywhere in the world.
The 2009 24 Hours of Nurburgring was a forgettable one for the Lexus L-FA prototype – it burned to the ground – so it wasn’t all that hard to assume that the car is headed back to Nurburgring for some unfinished business.
Unlike last year, this year’s 24 Hours of Nurburgring competition will see Lexus bringing a standard production of the LF-A, which is the first time the V10-powered supercar will participate in a racing competition of any kind.
Two LF-As will be on hand for the four-day event and Lexus, together with Gazoo Racing, is leaving no stones unturned as far as preparations are concerned. The team will be comprised of Hiromu Naruse, Toyota’s pre-eminent test driver, who will lead a team that’s made up of four Japanese drivers and three German counterparts including six-time winner of the Super Taikyu Endurance Series, Takayuki Kinoshita; Akira Ida, overall winner of the Tokachi 24 Hours in 1995 and 2007; Armin Hahne, winner of the Spa 24 Hours in 1982 and 1983, and Jochen Krumbach, who came in second overall in the 2008 Nürburgring 24 Hours.
