Nine years after the production line came to a grinding halt, the LFA is still up there with the best sports cars ever produced. The supercar-like exterior design and grand-touring characteristics are complemented by acoustic engineering by Yamaha, which brings us to the engine.
Developed specifically for this application, the 4.8-liter V10 is a screamin’ banshee that cuts fuel off at 9,500 revolutions. Equipped with dry-sump lubrication and a flat-plane crankshaft, the engine can shoot to 9,000 rpm in a blistering 0.6 seconds. That is why the LFA flaunts an LCD tachometer.
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 S Roadster, by comparison, is a supercharged V8-engined sledgehammer with aural qualities that would make the Supermarine Spitfire blush with admiration. A very different animal from the Lexus, the German-British super grand tourer is even rarer than the LFA. All told, only 150 examples have been produced in this specification.
Lovecars had the opportunity to drag race these modern classics, and the results are pretty obvious right off the bat. The McLaren-tuned Merc is a straight-line maestro thanks to a supercharged V8 with 820 Nm (605 pound-feet) of torque on tap, while the free-breathing V10 in the Lexus makes do with 480 Nm (354 pound-feet). Alas, there can be only one victor.
With none other than Tiff Needell in the driver’s seat, the LFA spins the rear tires off the line with traction control on. Across the finish line, the gap between it and the Merc is massive. Two bus lengths massive that is. Second time out, the Lexus can’t one-up the SLR 722 S with the traction control turned off. Actually, it lit up the rears in first, second, and third gear.
Although the open-top Mercedes is the quicker car in a quarter-mile shootout, I find it extremely hard to resist the LFA’s sense of occasion on the wide-open throttle. The question is, which one would you pick as your ride?
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News