Sunday Drives Perfected: Experiencing the LFA for the First Time
Dropping everything for a drive of a lifetime, Charles Craven believes LFA more of a stunning grand tourer than a track-day terror.
When’s the last time you’ve seen an LFA? Was it also your first? How close did you come to perfection? Over 10 years since the first handful left the special factory in Nagoya, Lexus has yet to top their ultimate love letter to the road (though they’d like to, per Autocar back in 2019). Combined with its overall rarity and distribution, the LFA is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for everyone.
Thus, under these circumstances, Charles Craven of Supercar Driver received the call of a lifetime to drive LFA No. 411 before The Octane Collection in Horsham, England sells it.
“I don’t know anything about the Lexus LFA,” said Craven. “I mean, when do you ever see a Lexus LFA on the road? I’ve seen one at a track day […] Other than that, I don’t think I’ve seen one. So, I know nothing about them. I mean, what do you know about the Lexus LFA?”
Quite a few things, actually. We know it has a carbon-fiber body, woven by Lexus themselves with specially built looms. It houses a 4.8-liter V10 with 552 horses going to the rear through a six-speed single-clutch auto, the only transmission available to handle the 9,400-RPM redline. Not to mention the tuning done by Yamaha’s music division to make the V10 sound wonderful. But that’s what we know. What matters now is Craven’s experience behind the wheel of this masterpiece.
“From my point of view, as a driver, the standout feature of the LFA is undoubtedly its engine,” said Craven. “And what an absolute cracker it is. It is one of the very best engines I’ve ever driven. I’m not quite sure yet if I prefer it to or not quite to a Carrera GT’s engine, but this in the Lexus is a very very special engine.”
Craven’s impressed not only by the aforementioned 9,400 RPM redline, but by how fast it gets there no matter the gear; he had to train himself to shift at 8,000 RPM so he wouldn’t bounce off the rev limiter. And of course, he loved the sound the V10 made, and how smoothly it all pulled.
“Where do I think the car sits in the whole echelon of sports cars?” asks Craven. “I don’t think it’s as focused a car as the Carrera GT […] The LFA, I think, is a car that’s not necessarily gonna be what you call a track-day car. Maybe not what you call a B-road blaster car. I think if I was the kind of person that was driving long distances quite a lot, this would be an excellent car for doing those.”
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