We knew it was coming — here is the official video (with telemetry) of Akira Iida’s 7:14.64 lap around the Nürburgring Nordschleife in the Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition:
With this ultra-quick time, the Lexus LFA Nürburgring edition is now the fourth fastest production car to run the ‘Ring, and the fastest-ever from a mainstream manufacturer. Some details from the press release:
LFA test driver and professional racer Akira Iida recorded a lap time of 7:14.64 in a fully road-legal car, running on standard specification Bridgestone Potenza RE070 tyres.
The result, posted on 31 August during a performance test, demonstrates Lexus’s success in honing its two-seater supercar for track-focused handling, by introducing a range of aerodynamic features and fine-tuning the car’s suspension.
Commenting on the result, Iida said: “We are delighted with this achievement. Our on-going development of the LFA and our recent outings at the Nürburgring 24 Hour race have enabled us to continue to tune the vehicle. The result with the LFA Nürburgring Package shows the car’s ultimate performance and agility. This is a first activity of its type for Lexus and the constant effort of the team has brought this fantastic result.”
Haruhiko Tanahashi, LFA Chief Engineer, said: “The LFA Nürburgring Package is the culmination of our extensive testing programme and we have appreciated the opportunities to use the Nürburgring Nordschleife to strengthen and develop the LFA into the vehicle it is today. The development team’s obsession, Iida-san’s concentration and good course conditions all led to our achieving this record.”
An amazing result, and something for everyone at Lexus to be proud of — congratulations to both Iida-san & the LFA development team!
Just a note: There’s some confusion as to the cars ahead of the LFA — according to Wikipedia, this would be:
- Radical SR8 LM at 6:48
- Radical SR8 at 6:55
- Gumpert Apollo Sport at 7:11.57
However, according to the Nürburgring enthusiast website Bridge to Gantry, the list would be:
- Pagoni Zonda-R at 6:47.5
- Radical SR8LM at 6:48
- Ferrari 599XX at 6:58.1
- Gumpert Apollo at 7:11.5
What’s notable is that every one of these models, regardless of list (with the exception of the Ferrari 599XX, which is not actually for sale), stretch the definition of what it means to be a production model, particularly when it comes to whether the car is actually road-legal. I’m not going to get into the particular conditions & caveats, but I do recommend taking a look at this list at Bridge to Gantry for the full details.
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