LFA Decimates LC500 in Lexus Halo Car Duel

Two greatest Lexus performance cars in the modern era go head-to-head with predictable results.

The range-topping performance model in the modern Lexus lineup is the LC500, but back in 2012, the LFA held that role for the Japanese luxury automaker. The folks from the CarWow YouTube channel recently got ahold of an LC500 and an LFA at the same time, so they decided to race the two head-to-head to see how the brand’s two top performance cars of the modern era match up to each other.

As you might be guessing from the title or from what you know of the two cars, the LFA handily wins the races, but the LC500 hangs with the supercar in a different type of test.

The Competitors

The video begins with CarWow host Mat Watson giving us a basic introduction to each of the vehicles. He is driving the new LC500, which is powered by a naturally aspirated, 5.0-liter V8 that delivers 480 horsepower and 540 newton-meters of torque in British figures, 471 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque for Americans. The LC500 weighs around 1,950 kilograms, or 4,300 pounds, and costs around 74,000£, or around $95,000 US dollars.

His competitor is a 2012 Lexus LFA, which is powered by a naturally aspirated, 4.8-liter V10 with 560 horsepower and 480 newton-meters of torque, 553 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque for Americans. The LFA weighs around 3,500 pounds and when new, it cost around 340,000£, which is $433,000 US dollars based on the current conversion rate.

In other words, the LFA has more horsepower, less torque and less weight, while costing far more than the LC500.

Dig Race

The two Lexus halo cars race from a stop at first, and it is barely a race. As soon as both cars move, the LFA jumps out to a big lead even with traction issues and it just keeps on pulling away. On the top end, the LFA ran a 12.5 quarter mile while the LC500 took 13.9 seconds to cover the same distance, which is a pretty sound beating in a drag race.

As a side point, while both cars sound great, the exhaust note of the LFA is nothing short of awe-inspiring. You definitely want to watch this with your sound turned up.

Roll Race

Next, the two went from a 50-mile per hour roll, possibly reducing the impact of the extra weight of the LC500, but it doesn’t really matter. When both drivers hammer down, the dueling Lexus coupes are side-by-side for a second, but the LFA quickly draws away to take the win.

Braking Battle

Finally, the LC500 and the LFA both made an emergency stopping maneuver at 70 miles per hour. Not only does the LFA weigh far less, but it also has carbon ceramic brakes while the LC500 has traditional steel rotors. With that in mind, you might expect the LFA to stop far faster, but that is not the case. Remarkably, the LC only takes a few more feet to come to a complete stop from 70, showcasing the quality of the braking components in their current range-topping super-coupe.

In the end, the LFA is clearly the better performance car, but we should keep in mind that the LC500 is not designed to be a proper supercar. The LC is a full-production luxury coupe engineered to deliver the high performance driving experience and it does that very well at a fraction of the cost of the LFA.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

Join the Club Lexus forums now!

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Facebook   Twitter