6 Factors That Make The Lexus LFA So Darn Good

1. Science of Sound

The Lexus LFA was built in tiny quantities, sold at a premium, and was somewhat of a flop, at least early on. Regardless, Lexus' legendary supercar has since enjoyed a tremendous boom in popularity, largely due to the fact that automakers simply don't make cars like it anymore. With a high revving F1-inspired V10 powerplant that sounds simply amazing, that's easy for any enthusiasts to understand - but what many may not know is just how, exactly, Lexus managed to make the LFA sound so darn good.

Photos: Lexus

2. Revving To the Moon

Of course, the LFA's much-lauded 4.8-liter V10 has a lot to do with the way the car sounds, especially when it can rev to the literal moon - or 9,000 rpm, to be exact, a mark it can reach in a mere six-tenths of a second. But Lexus worked closely with Yamaha to develop this F1-inspired powerplant, with a focus on something arguably more important than sheer output.

Photos: Lexus

3. Formidable Internals

What's more important than sheer numbers themselves is what lurks inside the LFA's engine - a collection of fascinating components that most will never see for themselves. Those include titanium-alloy connecting rods and forged pistons, the latter of which move at an incredible speed 25 meters per second at top speed.

Photos: Lexus

4. Less Weight = More Speed

Titanium is used extensively throughout the 4.8-liter V10, largely due to its light weight, and that includes the valve train, with variable timing present on both the intake and exhaust side of the equation. As is typically the case with cars in general, less weight equals more speed.

Photos: Lexus

5. Unique Feature

Then there are the LFA's 10 individual throttle bodies, which allow for precise metering of air and fuel in each cylinder, though they also play a big role in the way the car sounds - which is precisely why many custom car builders gravitate towards them these days.

Photos: Lexus

6. Horsepower Per Liter

Though the LFA's output of 553 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque don't seem terribly impressive on the surface, it's all about putting things into perspective. And in that regard, this V10 offers up 115 horsepower per liter - an incredible figure that rivals the much-heralded Honda S2000 in that regard.

Photos: Lexus

Stirring the Soul

Thus, while some will point to the fact that the LFA was a bit of an underdog in terms of performance from the day it launched, others will view it as a triumph of engineering. And that's precisely why the Lexus supercar has become so rabidly popular - cars just don't sound like this anymore, and they likely never will again.

Photos: Lexus

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