Clarkson Declares the LFA as the Best Car He’s Ever Driven
Now, if that’s not high praise, I don’t know what is. Keep in mind that Jeremy Clarkson’s job to drive the worlds most interesting and exciting cars… And evaluate them with brutal honesty (and humor). He’s been doing this for over 20 years. And yet, it is Lexus’ super car that manages to be the best car that he’s ever driven. That’s saying something.
Sure, the LFA may be several times more expensive than it’s contemporaries. Some cars might have a higher top speed, or a quicker 0-60 time. Some might have more visually alluring sheet metal. Those things are absolutely important, but they’re parts that make up a whole. The LFA’s allure isn’t that it excels in any of those individual areas, but it’s because the car is an exceptional package all together. The price might be high, but considering the tremendous amount of R&D Toyota has poured into making the car, it’s easy to understand why.
Clarkson understands that it’s not just the numbers that make a car. That’s why Ferrari’s are special, and Jags are special, and Alfas are special. Ferrari’s have a certain “Ferrari-nes” to them that makes them unique, performance be damned. In the LFA’s case, it’s as close as anyone’s been able to get to mechanical perfection. In Clarkson’s words, it’s like the Terminator.
There’s only one comparable car I can think of. The Ferrari 599 GTO. Kato, if you follow the show closely. Obviously, this has bags more personality than the LFA and feels so much more human as a result. It’s fallible and confused, and when it rains it goes all to pieces. It’s hard to master, but deeply rewarding when you do.
The LFA doesn’t show any of those traits at all. It’s more like a Terminator. You tell it what to do, and it will keep on doing it. It absolutely will not stop.
via [LexusEnthusiast]
