Lexus LFA this supercar physically compels me to switch off scepticism, pay heed to the racing line and happily marinate in waves of sensory stimulation: the Formula One shriek of its 552-horsepower V-10, the tightrope balance and technical precision that makes even a Corvette ZR-1 feel like a Tinkertoy.
Is the Lexus LFA worth $375,000? Sure, for the rare person who would prefer a supercar from Japan, not Europe.
An auto debate judged LFA as an adrenaline-inducing performance tool, but we know that Lexus tops a number of supercars — not just the similarly priced Lamborghini Murciélago, but also the $1.3 million Bugatti Veyron.
As any car snob will remind you, Lexus is not Bugatti, or even Porsche.
Created by Toyota just 20 years ago, Lexus can’t bank on the car-museum prestige or racing pedigree that makes millionaires’ hearts go flutter. And with apologies to Lexus, I have yet to hear anyone describe the LFA as beautiful. Even Lexus hasn’t spent much time strewing flowery adjectives over the styling, whose brute functionality recalls an Asian “Fast and Furious” movie car — albeit one on a billionaire’s budget.
For those reasons, no matter how loopy unattainable the LFA may be, The owners hate to discourage Lexus from the sort of moon shot that the LFA represents. Getting out of the driver’s seat, they may realize that may never drive this rare supercar again. But that’s all right.
The LFA — like the Dodge Viper — is the kind of machine that might inspire Lexus or Toyota to inject some spirit into their lineups, or to create sports cars that real people can afford.
