Shotgun in the LFA++++++ with Scott Pruett (and IS-F/F-sport/event)

[1SICKLEX]

My new name for the LFA is LFA+++++++ (as in plus plus plus plus)


Cliche but it usually works

1624 miles in less than 3 days
1045 songs on iPhone to play
450h on its first true roadtrip
80 or so CDs to also play
$50 or so in tolls on the Florida Turnpike
19 bottles of Gatorade/water
16 or so various Lexus vehicles
12 hours sleep in those 3 days
4 hits of crack rock to stay up (I kid I kid)
3 Lexus IS-Fs on the track
1 of 2 prototype Lexus LFA cars in the world on the track
Experience of a lifetime riding with Scott Pruett in the LFA-PRICELESS!


As you can imagine I am very tired but I wanted to write my review while everything was still fresh. I am also still smiling. Later on, I will talk about the entire trip. I will not bore you with that now but instead will get to the meat and potato's.

2011 Lexus LFA

Before I got to see it, I heard it. We were driving the IS-F/F-sport/stock cars when you hear something like a jet fighter. The entire crowd turns and you see this black diamond colored car moving at a rapid pace on the oval. You quickly notice it is reflecting the sun but not completely. Then it is gone. (I am assuming warm up laps as it was around 8:20 am on a cool, dry morning with clear skies).

Lucky me. Some of us lucky ones were in a separate line and again, you hear this wonderful sound unlike anything I have heard in a car. I looked at the sky thinking it was a F-22 or something. You don't realize how compact it is until you see it in person. Slightly shorter than a 911 Turbo. As you can see in pics in bitkahuna's thread (I will link it) and the last pic I post, the LFA comes to slightly above my waist (I am 6"5).

You don't look at the LFA. The LFA looks at you. So I looked back. If it was a person, it would be Chuck Norris or Daniel Craig as James Bond. Not the most handsome thing but you can't help but watch. Like Bond the car has a swagger just sitting there. It looks at you, as it knows what it is capable of. The question is do you? Butch, not particularly beautiful in the traditional sense but so purposeful and beautiful in a way an F1 race car can relate to. You know every damn thing on the is designed FOR A REASON. In a world where cars are getting bigger, heavier, humongous, the LFA fights that. Purity comes to mind.

This is a Lexus unlike anything you could have thought of. The flat black paint is marvelous and adds to the cars charm. It looks like it just did 500 laps at the Nurburgring and is on the way to Fuji to do more. The headlights and gaping mouth speak pissed off Samurai and very proud to be Japanese. You then notice the air intakes at the rear, which are seemingly perfect in size, not to big, not to small. You notice the doors curve but the bottom of the car is flat as Europeans thought the Earth was. You get to the rear and with the spoiler recessed it is a clean look, even with those gaping mesh outlets. The exhaust pipes are fantastic looking.

Execution to a T.I walk away as I don't want the LFA to think I am staring, especially at its nice ass. So I do....and then you notice the stance. If every Lexus/car had fitment like this aftermarket wheel companies would be out of business. The 20" BBS forged wheels look the business, yet the spokes are thick enough to present strength. You notice the tires are thin and you also notice no tire shine as this car is here to GO, not SHOW. You go past the wheels as they are open spokes to the huge Carbon Ceramic brakes, with subtle gloss black calipers. No bright red/yellow, orange. This LFA doesn't need to shout anything to anybody. You can see the wear on the brakes, like a good pair of worn in basketball shoes you can stop well in.

This is an EVENT. The car idling sounds amazing, it sounds powerful. You expect to see the car shaking. Instead it is a proper Lexus, a gentleman and sits there patiently. If the LFA could talk, it would say "time to go, now" in a stern yet polite voice. I did. The door opens and has a wonderful sound, again like a Lexus. You notice it is a thick door and well, this is going to be a drop to enter. I sat and it kind of became slightly surreal. Not only am I going to ride in a LFA but Scott Pruett is in the driver's seat. At the same time I am looking at the interior. It was a lot to absorb for those initial seconds.

The interior is magnificent. The center console so daring, different, yet logical. The NAV screen is slightly under the air vents to prevent glare. The contrasting stitching is not overdone as this car had white leather seats. The LCD drivers screen is visible in bright sunlight with no issues from my seat. Legroom is fine, clearly not great but more than ample. The LFA does feel very compact in a good way as there is no space wasted. The view straight ahead is clear. You really feel as if you are riding on the ground, like Fred Flinstone with his feet. It only adds to the charm, to the knowledge that "low mass" was one of the main goals.

Scott Pruett is a class act. I told Mr. Pruett I have followed his races and it was an honor to meet him. He replied with a smile and "thank you" and when I asked him to sign my LFA booklet he gladly did. The attractive Lexus lady then comes over and says "I will take those, don't want them flying around". :uh: They were in my hands. Odd I thought. Mr. Pruett than asks "so what is the fastest you have gone"? I reply "almost 155 mph (if you are good you can find me talking about in the 2GS forum, funny but I did it in Florida). He grins.

Ready for Takeoff. The seatbelts feel fantastic, soft yet strong. My helmet does hit the roof but I am taller than most. I let the others go before me for a few reasons, mostly so the tires get nice and warm. I would not be disappointed. The dash is unlike anything ever built as you look forward. Amazingly, even if it shares nothing with another Lexus, it felt and looked like one. For an exotic, it is just luxurious and appropriate. I can see a previous Lexus owner having no issues with ergonomics. Now with the helmet on, you can't see behind you as a passenger and the side windows are small. The front dips.

If you want to know what a bullet feels like, ride in the LFA on an embankment. He slowly gets out the pitlane and even with the helmet on, the sound is unreal. He has both hands on the steering wheel and you can see paddle shifters are perfectly placed. We start out slow and then it kind of reminds me of the starship enterprise going into warp speed. ENGAGED The LFA literally takes off. There is no warning of this. You just get pressed into the rear of the seat. The "G" force is incredible. The V-10 roars in approval. The next feeling is like going up an elevator at 100 mph. We are going straight up the embankment and if you haven't been on one before, you don't really see road initially, you see the sky. We turn and after I finish saying "aaaammmaaziiing" he turns and goes around the oval. Ride compliance felt pretty darn good for an all out race car with 30 series 20" tires built with all out performance in mind on an oval. It was not overbearing (even on the roadcourse). That is when you notice four things.
1. The car sounds absolutely incredible.
2. You are pinned into the seat. You are not moving around.
3. The shifts are felt each time. (Lexus has done this on purpose, to give the car feel. It is not the final shift pattern/quality).
4. The car feels like it is molded out of some unearthly metal. To say "stiff" is an understatement.

Sorry how fast again?Mr. Pruett then is kind enough to tell you how fast we are going. It is one thing to go over 150 mph in a GS 400 as I have done. It is another to do it in a LFA. The LFA does this task in a lap, Mr. Pruett says "158" calmly. I say "#($#()# amazing" politely. :woot: . The GS 400 in comparison would take 14 days.:sleep: Well there is no comparison. The LFA makes it feel like an EVENT, it WANTS to go 150 mph, it WANTS to go faster. FEED ME FEED ME FEED ME.
Any other Lexus I've drive over 100 mph feels like the engine is saying one thing and the suspension is saying another. THERE IS NO ARGUMENT in the LFA. To describe it, it would be like Noah and his ark. Noah put two of every animal on that ark and dang it that was his singular purpose. The LFA knows it's entire purpose is to ROCK YOUR WORLD.

The Virgin. Well right when you thought I was finished the fun fun fun starts. The small, tight road course. Virgin comes to mind to describe it. And if you are with a Virgin, in something like the LFA, you are going to go hard and fast and finish.
Scott likes virgins. He is driving the LFA like a bat out of hell. He is driving it like there are 500 other LFAs at the track if he crashes one. The LFA doesn't flinch, doesn't argue with Mr. Pruett's inputs. Not one tire squeal. Not one sound from any electronic gizmo's. All you hear is the engine roar (and me screaming like a 3 year old). You need to fully understand that Mr. Pruett did not hold back on the LFA. There is no way I could have come remotely close to his execution and with how you drove this car. If I was wealthy and could not drive very well, I would simply hire him to take me on joy rides IN MY OWN LFA.

The LFA laughs. We enter the first corner with what I thought was sensational speed but I soon realized Scott was the master and the LFA could handle this. The virgin is then when I understood why this car costs so much and any target or competition. We hit the first apex and before I can blink, we hit the second apex, left to right. The rear of the car does not swing out. I could not believe it. Instead you feel how sticky the tires are, how strong the chassis is, how the 52% rear distribution is working. You then enter a sweeping corner thinking he is going to slow down. Well he does. The carbon ceramic brakes grip with authority. So much authority I felt I had the brake pedals and I was pressing them. To say they were impressive would be another understatement. He then shoots out the brake zone and I swear the LFA is saying to Scott "Is this all you got"? Scott replies in kind, hitting another apex, braking, coming out another corner, braking and the LFA just obeys. Over and over. The LFA obeys without disagreeing with the driver. I could not believe the entry, stopping and exit speed. Utterly amazing.

My body didn't roll. I understand why they put so much effort into low mass. Why this car took 10 years. Why they chose purity. My head moved some. My body didn't. It was not because of the seats or seatbelt. It is by design. If I didn't have my seatbelt on, if there were no seats in the car, you could drink hot Green tea, make a club sandwich, fry your bacon for your club sandwich while using your new iPad telling Clublexus you are in the LFA as you type. I am not saying this to say it was soft or boring at all, hell no! I am explaining that the carbon fiber and aluminum chassis works so well there is no flex or movement inside the car. Simply incredible. Unlike anything I've been in.

The shifting felt like a shotgun. And we were the bullets. In a wonderful, slightly course way, he would shift and immediately the car was in the gear he selected but you could "feel" it. I swear it felt like we were the bullets in a shotgun and every shift was another shot! I assume it is to give the feeling of shifting a tough manual/clutch in a car with 552 hp. It felt GREAT and added character to the LFA.

Yes it is a Lexus.I want to remind you this car has over 4000 miles on it and all they have changed are brake pads and tires. Not 4000 miles on Rodeo drive, 4000 miles driving like it is the bull at the Rodeo! Let me explain to you the car arrived Monday and was driving like mad that day, driven like mad Tuesday and the day I was there Wednesday, from 8am to 1pm Mr. Pruett simply drove back to back any lucky Lexus enthusiast there. The LFA laughs at what you think is a workout. No smoke from the engine, no leaks, no fuss. Not one flinch. The A/C works. The rear spoiler doesn't get stuck. As a matter of fact, you could literally take your LFA to any dealer and GET THE OIL CHANGED in the usual wait time (this is per Lexus!!).

The LFA changed my perception on drivers and automobiles. As the ride came to a close and we slowed in the pit lane I was smiling ear to ear. I thanked Mr. Pruett for being kind and also for not holding back. He showed me and surely everyone else there what the cars full capabilities were on that track. Now everyone else seemed to get out the car pretty subtle but I could not hold in my excitement. I jumped up and down and yelled "WHOO HOO" at the top of my lungs!! I also have a new appreciation for race car drivers. That is no joke, you have to be in tip top shape to handle that sport. Kudos to them.

Riding in the LFA with Scott at Homestead for a few minutes> driving 1600+ miles in 24 hours to ride in the LFA...

scratch...

Riding in the LFA with Scott at Homestead for a few minutes> all my driving in my entire life.












I looked back at the LFA and it looked to say............................................... .........................




"don't doubt me, crown me".

bitkahuna's thread
seeing and riding in the LFA at the Lexus F sport event in Homestead FL - Club Lexus Forums

A very special thanks to the following:

flipside909
jruhi4
bitkahuna
Scott Pruett
Clublexus
LEXUS

Reference point, 2010 Lexus IS-F

I hope you felt the review really puts you in the seat of the LFA. Now to help you understand how incredible the LFA is, I will try to put you in the seat of the IS-F on the SAME roadcourse, right AFTER I rode in the LFA.

Please understand the following is absolutely no diss to the IS-F, quite frankly it will be my next Lexus unless they make a special edition LFA for the same price. I have extensive experience driving and riding in the IS-F so I know it pretty darn well. I absolutely adore the IS-F, if you remember I drove to Moroso 3 years ago to drive/ride in it at the track when it came to the south. I've also took the IS-F experience at Atlanta Motor Speedway where we paid $300 to drive it and F-sports at the track. That is where I met Jeff Andretti and he stated to me "you drive very well, you must have track experience". :p

After the LFA, I walked over to Jeff Andretti again, who was giving hot laps in the IS-F there. I explained we met in Atlanta and he was nice enough to give me an autograph. Another class act. :thumbup: I strap my helmet on and we go on the same identical roadcourse.

Let me say the IS-F sounds magnificent stock, a more throaty growl than the LFA's jet fighter sound. I really gained more respect for it as it held its own to the LFA, different yet still authoritative. You sit noticeably higher in the IS-F and whereas the LFA feels like it is on the ground, the IS-F felt like a SUV in comparison. I really like the new black surround on the console and if you don't know, the IS-F has a black headliner adding to the sporty feel (most all Lexus use grey since 1989).

Mr. Andretti takes off and it feels quite slow. Never in my wildest dreams would I feel the IS-F was slow. We enter the same first turn I just described and the IS-F just rolls in it and we enter the next 2 apexes and the tires squeal and "bing bing bing" the traction control/VDIM is sounding off. Speed was pretty fast as he also was wringing the IS-F out but it still felt way behind the LFA.

Braking was very strong in the IS-F but I did not feel I was pumping the brakes. The LFA sort of feels like it is dropping huge concrete anchors when the brakes are slammed. The IS-F feels much more like a gentleman when it stops, you feel it but it doesn't slam you.

Body roll in the IS-F was like being in an ES 250 in comparison. No joke. I understood why these exotics go through all the trouble of a carbon fiber chassis. In the LFA again, only my head moved and it felt like I was riding in glue with my feet in the glue. The IS-F felt very loose in comparison and I was moving all around in the seat. Let me remind you until the LFA, the IS-F changed my perceptions of a Lexus vehicle and it was by far the least Lexus with bodyroll. It is utterly amazing just how sure the LFA is where the IS-F is fighting back control.

Acceleration and speed feels totally different and I hate to say slow but it is how it felt. The roadcourse felt like an eternity. I kept looking at the gauges and it was obvious how the IS-F needles were not moving nearly as fast as the LFA digital ones were. Still, it was fun, fun fun, the IS-F never felt like it wasn't at home on the roadcourse, it just didn't feel like the LFA.

I thanked Mr. Andretti and looked at the bright blue IS-F and grinned. Still my favorite Lexus sedan and still awesome in my eyes...I walk over and look at the LFA...it seems to say "that took long enough little brother"

I attached pics of the 2009 IS-F and the 2010 with the new wheels for comparison. They do look much better in person. The two matador red IS-Fs had cali plates. The last is my 450h resting in the shade.

Credit for these pics and the video to CL member bitkahuna..






i had shutter speed too fast (DOH) but the LFA here is doing about 150mph


nice front shot





5-axis IS



720p video from Canon 7D (ok, plug for my camera, lol), with lucky JET FLY OVER right before LFA fly by

TURN UP YOUR SPEAKERS and if you have decent bandwidth select 720p and full size or double-ended arrow icon to expand the view.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIQICoyHGCA

[Elbow]

They're pretty cool in person, I like them.

[JDMEG6HATCH]

This car is badazz!!..i love the interior

[singhondeck]

when is it hittin the dillaship

[G.C]

too much writing.

[Nerdsrock22]

Read every word.

Leaving happy. Awesome thread/write up.

[carbongs]

very nice mike!

[TougeGTR-33]

Love that car!

[JITB]

dam good shit.. i can tell u were excited just within the 1st paragraph...lol

[K20Z1]

nice essay, great experience for u!

[SpooL'DGsR]

man u are so lucky congrats!! oh yea great write up aswell.

[Genji-Sama]

Lol, you probably should've rode in the IS-F first as to not take a step down in the riding experience, none the less. Amazing review, makes me wanna buy one of both

[BAD SS]

Awesome fucking post. Good writing too.

Should have ridden in the IS-F first, though. It's hard to go from one of the best handling factory cars ever to a four door, five person, heavy car. Shit probably felt as slow as a dumptruck.

[5speed]

This thread is awesome! Love the story and rides. Reps

[LokiSays]

Im digging the LFA but not the 5-Axis IS so much.

[ATK_Designs]

I enjoy reading the post more than looking at the pics.

AWESOME WRITE UP. I LOVE IT.

[UpSideDownDesi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6D7S2rcyIQ&NR=1

[1SICKLEX]

Thank you everyone for the compliments, much appreciated.

carbon ceramic brakes that take some major abuse (well the pads even more so)...


the new LS sport


the driving event



more axis

[NAIZBST]

very nice

[imbatman]

dAmnnn

[1SICKLEX]

More pictures, two videos of the hot laps, and a quick review are here:http://www.motoringexposure.co...edway

[1SICKLEX]

More reps to come, I'm all out

[DVSRX-7]

i want the 5axis cars with LFA engine!