Lexus, as some say, is the Mercedes-Benz of Japan - luxurious, refined, and elegant. Yet, unlike the Germans, who are keen to show off a bit of savage wildness every now and then, Lexus is generally considered to be more boring. Perhaps its an unkind and undeserved opinion, though it's one that I share. I don't like pompous flash and bling, but I also like to urge carmakers to be more fun and exciting, as mundane as it could be.
Not Lexus however, at least not until 2011, when the LFA came out. It was absolutely shocking to every living soul on Earth. Lexus... Making a supercar? "Madness!", we proclaimed loudly. That's like saying your saintly 60-year old aunt plays strip-poker, while lap-dancing. Nonetheless, it soon proved to be a hit, following the roots of the Toyota 2000GT in the 1960s, which was regarded by many as Japan's first supercar.
The Rising Sun.
Credits to: Rain Prisk - Facebook, Lexus LC Rendering | Just a tease...
The more things change, the more they stay the same, and a half-a-century's absence hasn't made Toyota forget about what they've accomplished at making the West shiver with fear. The LFA is still warmly regarded as one of the most spectacular supercars ever made, in many ways possible. This is very high praise, putting it in the hall of fame even alongside legends from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, McLaren, and Aston Martin.
The LFA drove like a supercar, poise and sharp, pouncing its way from one corner to the next, with everything you need - braking, acceleration - being delivered to you with an abundance of smoothness, and instantaneously. It looks like a supercar, with that blend of mad science and artistic mastery which makes it no less of an alien artefact to gaze at, in supreme wonderment. It sounded like one too, with a naturally-aspirated V10 that could make you orgasm, as if a choir of angels were singing a lullaby to you.
Credits to: RM Sotheby's, Lexus LFA 'Nürburgring Edition' | The mothership has landed.
Nevertheless, it was a Lexus, thus its interior design and build quality was just as top notch as you'd expect it to be. Its legend didn't have an easy birth however, owing to its complexities that echoed a 'money is no object' approach with the aim of making the finest supercar possible. The first LFA was conceived behind closed doors, and made from aluminium. But it was later decided that it wasn't good enough, thus throwing everything into the bin, and starting back from scratch, this time using carbon-fibre.
It had to break past the stigmatisation as well, the notion that Lexus is boring, and made cars more suitable for your grandparents, than the aspiring youth looking at a bedroom poster. But Lexus did succeed above all odds, though only 500 or so limited-run LFAs ever rolled off the production line. It had set a bar so high, that until now, no other Lexus could ever get close to its mantel. All we cried out for, was an encore. What we wanted, was a series-production LFA, but simpler, cheaper, and more attainable to the masses.
The Cracks Appear.
Credits to: NetCarShow - Lexus RC-F | Not Lexus' best effort.
We asked for a nibble of that pie, following along the guiding principles that made the LFA such a god. Until now, those prayers have remained unanswered. First, there was the RC, and more specifically, the sportier RC-F. It was Lexus' chosen challenger to the BMW 4-series... And it was a bitter disappointment. Unfortunately, the RC-F was nowhere near as loved as the 4-series, and in the kindest way possible, it was very, very underwhelming.
It was big, heavy, and it lacked the athleticism to compete against even the heaviest of the Germans. In a straight line, it was slow, and when you give it some corners, it handled just as well as a grand-piano tumbling down a flight of stairs. It had few positives, and was especially painful for us to accept, given that this came after the LFA bowed out. It wasn't even 1/10 of the car that the LFA possessed, but at least the RC-F made for a wonderful second-hand performance bargain.
Credits to: NetCarShow - Lexus LC-500 | One of the most beautiful cars, inside and out.
Next, it was the LC's time to shine, and now we can see a massive improvement. Perhaps, this was due to Lexus' marketing it more as a grand-tourer, than a sports-car. In terms of emotions, the LC-500 was as close to a proper LFA that we've gotten from Lexus. It was similarly styled like a spaceship, with a boldness in design that's quite surprising given how dull Lexus was not too long ago. As a driver's car, it filled in that gap between outright thrashing it around like a racer, and cruising long-distances in great comfort.
As wild as the LC-500 may appear to be, sitting inside of it feels no less relaxing and luxurious as being in a chateau in the South of France. Yet, we continue to hope that maybe, just maybe, it will begin to inspire more confidence out of Lexus to make supercars again. Besides, the LC even ran as a race-car in Japan's Super GT, which in its short career span, did fairly well. They did say, that there won't be another LFA in the near future.
Credits to: Carscoops - Lexus LC-500 (GT500) | It looks good in racing overalls, too!
But then, the Covid-19 pandemic came. It has claimed many souls, and it continues to leave a damaging scar on everyone, and everything that's survived. We mourn all those to have been lost into the endlessly dark abyss created by this virus, both blood and steel. The effects of the Coronavirus is felt far and wide, and this is true with the car industry. A locked down population means no movement, as humankind leave their cars parked and perhaps never touched for weeks, maybe even more.
In the subject of LFA, it also meant a further halt to moulding its successor, since Lexus were apparently close to having finished a high-performance and driver-focused flagship to reign over all - the LC-F. Yet, not even the largest and most supreme carmaker could stay immune to the effects of such a plague, thus sacrifices had to be made. The LC was a good candidate to be canned, as even when the good times rolled, it sold poorly owing to its niche appeal.
Goodbye, Forever?
Credits to: NetCarShow - Lexus LC-500 | The final V8?
This is unfortunate, given how close we were to seeing it in the flesh. Lexus supposedly started the development of a new twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 nearly two years ago, as the successor to the old naturally-aspirated 5.0-litre V8s that they'd ordinarily put in their performance cars. That old powerplant was a most magnificent engine, and its definitely one of the biggest selling points for getting an LC-500, or even the dreaded RC-F.
It's certainly not as powerful as its competitors, but by eschewing the turbos, it delivered power with creamy smoothness, with rapid throttle response. It was almost like a natural extension of your body, but the best thing of all, was how it sounds. There's nothing Lexus-like in its tone of voice at all. See, each country in the world has a distinct way to fine-tune their engines to sing, and feel like their unique national identities.
Credits to: NetCarShow - Ferrari Roma, Ford Mustang, and Aston Martin Vantage | Three's a crowd; same same, but different.
Where a Mustang V8 would growl angrily, raw and untamed; a Vantage's V8 sounds classy and elegant, but nevertheless showing its brutish side; while the new Roma's V8 would burble its baritone tune in an opera. Lexus' V8 then, sounds more meat and American, as if Taiko drums were furiously beating away, in the backdrop of a fierce battle between Samurai clans. It's gritty, with refined luxury replaced for a primal roar, as it sends thumping bass across your body. There's a video right at the end, if you're keen to hear what 5-litres of Japanese anger sounds like.
But of course, such large engines are old-fashioned, and inefficient for today's sterile and conscientious world. That supposed twin-turbo V8 was the answer, or at least, a small and important step forward. It was rumoured to be fitted onto a new and updated LC race-car, entering into this year's Nürburgring 24-hours endurance race. Once that's done, Lexus' engineers would take the learnings from that racer, and trickle down with adjustments onto an LC fit for the roads.
Credits to: AutoEvolution - LC-F Test Mule | The mysterious LC-F shows itself in public.
That should've been the LC-F, one where I've been anxiously awaiting its arrival. They've been teased roaming around in the world before, with that familiar turbo-charged whine being heard in the background, subtle but present. Test mules were first spotted on the roads a while ago, and you can see that it's hiding something different underneath all that cladding. Notice the quad, stacked exhausts that Lexus ordinarily reserves for their higher-performance cars.
Then, there's also the larger intakes for cooling along the front-fascia, now adorning a slightly sharper bodywork. The sight of this alone got me - and some others - excited, thinking that an LC-F's birth was nigh. Yet, we waited, and waited, with no good news to follow. The old naturally-aspirated V8s had 471hp in the LC-500, but fitting two turbos into an LC-F could potentially raise the output beyond 600hp, which would put it on a competitive footing against say, the Aston Martin DB11.
So Close, Yet So Far.
Credits to: AutoEvolution - LFA Successor (?) Testing, Nürburgring | What's this doing there, then!?
With all that's going on in the world, it's financial unfeasible to continue development, with Toyota and Lexus having allegedly canned all their V8 development projects. In its wake, it will be replaced with smaller, and more efficient turbocharged, or hybridised V6s. But despite all that, I still hold out some hopes that we could still see something out of this. All this has been somewhat speculation so far, so its worth taking many grains of salt.
I doubt that Lexus had gone through all the trouble, without having at least something to show for it. Even if they'd just show it off in their race-cars alone, it's still worthy of appreciation. Not long ago, they've made a refresh of the IS saloon, and there's been some rumours circling around that they could put a V8 in that, bringing the old IS-F nameplate back from the dead. Plus, a random LFA test-mule was seen thrashing around the Nürburgring, raising more hopes that Lexus might find a suitable replacement, after all.
Questions, rumours, imagination... But no firm answers, just confusion. Maybe the situation around the LC-F will be just like the old Supra, forcing us to wait 20 years before we could finally see something that could truly succeed the LFA. It would be nice to have more out of that V8, just at least one more time for us to say goodbye before it all goes away into retirement, locked away in a museum. I guess only time will tell.
