Thanks to German Car Forums, we can get a sneak peek at the new Car Magazine Autocar comparison of the Lexus LFA, Ferrari 458 Italia, Porsche 911 GT3 RS & Noble M600 — here’s a LFA quote:
Even though pictures of the LFA have been circulating for years, and personally I’ve seen the car in the carbonfibre before, nothing prepares you for the sight of the Lexus on home ground, mixed in among everyday traffic. In our collection there are more beautiful shapes and brighter colors, but without a doubt the most striking shape is the LFA. It looks like it has arrived from Mars, circa the year 2050.
On a whole, the article reads like a 458 Italia love story — which is all well and good, except when it gets down to raw numbers:
To think that Autocar was only able to hit a 4.2s 0-60MPH time with the LFA — when Car & Driver and Motor Trend managed 3.7s & 3.8s respectively — makes me think two things right off the bat:
- This white LFA pre-production prototype is starting to show some wear after some very tough miles.
- The other three cars are equipped with launch control systems, which practically guarantees a solid launch. The LFA, on the other hand, requires more technical skill.
After all, it did take Car & Driver some experimentation to hit their reported 3.7s time, and that was with a different prototype. Unfortunately, neither of these facts are mentioned in the article.
Nevertheless, this article only highlights the need for launch control in the LFA — if only to even out the playing field and make for more accurate comparisons.
Update: This comparison is from Autocar, not Car Magazine.
[Source: Autocar via German Car Forum]
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