The super-sports car money can’t buy

YOU don’t choose it, the LFA chooses you. There will only be 500 lucky owners of this ‘halo’ car worldwide, with no sequels in sight.

The sound of the engine alone will stupefy. It’s not a drug, but it will take its lucky owner on a natural high.

It is the most coveted and most talked-about supercar nowadays. But who can afford it? Definitely not the flash-in-the-pan celebrity. Not even an unskilled boy billionaire who may be friends with everyone. Tony Stark may have a better shot at it. You have to be that bright to be able to own this one, kiddo.

It’s just a car. How hard can it be, you say? Well, just think about it. The nerdiest guys at Popular Mechanics were able to take the LFA [Lexus Fuji Apex], a rear wheel-drive supercar, for a spin, and even they scratched their heads over the numerous gadgets and switches on its instrument panel—some of them, they said, were “invisible” unless you knew where to look.

Inquirer Motoring witnessed the lone LFA unit in the Philippines presented to the local motoring media during the October 11 launch by the P1-B Lexus Manila firm. Haruhiko Tanahashi, LFA chief engineer from the Lexus Group at Toyota Motor Corp, who began developing the supercar in 2000, was the guest of honor that evening.

In Asia, only the Philippines, Singapore and Brunei were allocated the LFA, according to Lexus Manila Inc. A bit surprising, though, because the bigger car markets such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand weren’t given an LFA.

Lexus Manila chairman Alfred Ty said, “We want to share this rare and priceless automobile with the discerning public. Our doors will be open to showcase the LFA, the ultimate testament to everything that Lexus is capable of.”

Three serious buyers

Even if Lexus Manila made it clear that the LFA would not be for sale, three serious buyers made the tempting offer. Lexus Manila refused to divulge any information pertaining to the identity of the buyers. But they had the money, the clout, and the knowhow to make this multimillion-peso car run. Months before the Manila launch, one buyer was said to have dangled the check, to no avail. Another even offered to pay P5 million every month.

Again, Lexus Manila reiterates, the LFA in the Philippines would remain the most priceless car in the country (because, quite literally, Lexus Manila has not disclosed its true price in peso value). But to give us an idea how much the LFA could cost, US dealers have tagged it for $430,000. Considering taxes and other fees, in the Philippines, the amount could reach a whopping P40 million.

“Money has been no object for those buyers, but the biggest come on is the fact that they can’t have it,” quipped Carlo Chungungco, Lexus Manila marketing services officer.

Let’s just say that Lexus Manila, the youngest dealership in Asia, is the proudest owner of a one-and-only LFA in the Philippines. And that is a marketing coup in the car-eat-car Asian market.

The price is one deterrent. And so is the technology behind it. In fact, only one person in the country is authorized to get behind the wheel, an engineer from Toyota Motor Philippines. Not even Lexus Manila president Danny Isla would dare take it out of the showroom.

The LFA now displayed at the Lexus Manila showroom at Bonifacio Global City was the 161st of the 500 to be built; only 20 of the hand-built cars could be made every month (production started December 2009) at the Lexus LFA Works at the Motomachi Plant at Toyota City in Nagoya. Those who can afford one need to fall in line for an application. Lexus would have to screen each owner’s background.

But don’t expect superfans of other supercars to take this sitting down. Online, loyalties are being tested, as the LFA is being pitted feature-per-feature, rev per rev, versus other supercars such as the Nissan GT-R.

All the small things

About 65 to 70 percent of the LFA’s body structure is made of carbon fiber, the rest is made of aluminum. The chassis and bodywork are made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) instead of the usual aluminum.

The engine is a high-revving 4.8L V10 which is as small as a traditional V8 engine and as light as a conventional V6 engine, but enables the vehicle to reach 100 kph in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 325 kph. The LFA boasts of 412 kW/560 DIN hp and can rev up to 9,000 rpm.

One hard-to-miss feature is the sound the engine generates, as its acoustics have been tuned by Yamaha to deliver a unique, Formula-1 inspired rumble which Tanahashi likens to the “roar of an angel.”

The LFA is equipped with a 6-speed Automated Sequential Gearbox (ASG) and paddle-shifters complemented by four driving modes: Auto; Sport; Normal, and Wet. The ASG is located in a transaxle layout over the rear axle for an optimal 48:52 front-to-rear weight distribution.

Lexus Manila president Daniel Isla said the LFA “embodies everything that the Lexus brand stands for, and everything that Lexus is capable of.”

And again, read his moustachioed lips: “It’s not for sale.”