Carrera: Lexus LFA 2012 vs Nissan GT-R 2012

MotorTrend

Probamos el nuevo sÃºper coche de Lexus

Transcript

00:00 [Music]

00:13 There's a new member of the supercar club.

00:16 It has the typical supercar hardware.

00:19 A high output engine that revs to the stratosphere.

00:23 Paddle shift transmission, carbon fibre, everything.

00:28 It has brakes powerful enough to stop the earth's rotation.

00:31 And more scoops, wings and aerodynamic doodads than a fighter plane.

00:35 The price for all this? A very supercar like $400,000.

00:41 But it's not Italian. It's not German. It's Japanese.

00:47 And it's called the Lexus LFA.

00:51 [Music]

01:11 [Music]

01:33 What you're looking at is the culmination of 10 years worth of research and development

01:37 from some of Toyota's best and brightest car guys.

01:41 And the results are pretty astonishing.

01:45 Under the hood is a 552 horsepower V10 that redlines at a screaming 9,000 rpm.

01:53 Toyota designed the engine to be as small and lightweight as possible.

01:56 So although it has 10 cylinders, the engine weighs less than a V6.

02:02 The engine is manufactured by Yamaha, the company which helped Toyota develop the iconic 2000 GT sports car in the 1960s.

02:11 But Yamaha didn't just build the engine and slap it into the car.

02:15 Before they installed it, it was sent down the hall to their co-workers,

02:19 the Yamaha Music Instrument Department, for final sound tuning.

02:23 [Music]

02:27 Inside, the LFA features an instrument panel made of a single LCD screen that displays all relevant information.

02:34 Because the LFA will rev from idle to redline in just over half a second,

02:38 a conventional analogue tachometer simply would not react quickly enough, according to Toyota.

02:44 Over 65% of the LFA is made from carbon fibre reinforced polymer, designed and manufactured in-house.

02:51 According to Toyota, the carbon fibre construction is up to aeronautical standards and is weaved by a laser monitored circular loom,

02:59 one of only two that exist on the planet.

03:02 The LFA is quite simply the most ferocious car to ever come out of Japan.

03:08 Or is it?

03:10 [Engine revs]

03:14 Lexus LFA vs Nissan GT-R

03:18 There hasn't been an all-Japan title fight like this since Godzilla vs Mothra.

03:25 This is the only Lexus LFA in America.

03:28 We only have access to it for a few hours and we're not allowed to drive it on the road.

03:33 That's okay because there's really only one question we want answered.

03:37 Is the LFA faster than the GT-R over the quarter mile?

03:42 [Music]

03:52 [Engine revs]

04:01 [Music]

04:28 So the LFA wins, barely.

04:31 Let's watch the race again, but this time more closely.

04:35 Off the line, the rear-drive LFA is at a disadvantage compared with the all-wheel-drive GT-R and its superior traction.

04:43 By the time the cars reach 60 miles per hour, the GT-R is still in the lead due to its quick start and aggressive gearing.

04:49 The Nissan hits 60 in just 3.5 seconds, while the Lexus trails behind by three-tenths of a second.

04:57 By the middle of the track, the tables begin to turn.

05:00 The GT-R's aggressive gearing advantage begins to count for less as the higher-revving, more powerful LFA hits its stride.

05:09 By the finish line, the LFA has managed to just inch ahead of the GT-R, finishing the quarter mile in 11.8 seconds at 123.7 miles per hour.

05:20 The GT-R is just a tick behind at 11.9 seconds at 120.1 miles per hour.

05:27 [Music]

05:32 (boom)

05:33 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Category

Transcript

Recommended