It also features his own suspension too, complete with ride height assist to negotiate mundane Japanese roads. He did this because he drives this car daily, and has one of the most miles on the car of any.

And his car is serial numbered 500.

That is the very last LFA that rolled off the LFA works factory. His license plate tagged accordingly.

FYI: the man is in his 80's but has driven this LFA, 450 miles to this Owner's Club meeting, at Fuji Speedway, and has ran this in open session himself at a pace that will make most owners cringe with late braking and lateral loads...

Lexus - AMAZING.

The post The rarest of the Lexus LFA perhaps, the #500 "Ken Matsuura" Nurburgring appeared first on Club4AG.

The Lexus LFA Driving Experience - What is it like, to drive the ultimate Toyota Supercar that happens once every 40 years...

February 26-27th, 2011

San Francisco Bay Area and Sonoma County

The Joyride

It all started with an email from Ryan, a good buddy of mine. "I got you slotted for 3:20pm, Sunday February 27th... Please keep it confidential and no guests!... promise me if you want a chance at driving the LFA"

This was a Lexus private event hosted to show prospective buyers and pre-ordered guests what they will expect and more of the LFA that they ordered or will order. Ryan B of a third party organization, who was on the planning of this event was kind enough to slip me into the slot for the event, and despite me not having a fraction of the resources to actually order one, I had the opportunity to drive it in an environment most owners will not even dare. On hand were two LFA and a fleet of IS-F (sort of a Cessna trainer) that we used to get familiar with Infineon Raceway. The two LFA, of course, was a production sampler that was roaming the USA for this very purpose and other promotional events and appearances. The yellow one is the very car Paris Hilton was photographed next to a month prior…

The first day, I was scooting about town most of the night with the newer of the LFA, the yellow one, for photos in various places around San Francisco. Ryan B was able to rent out the car for the night for us to joyride and blip the V10 to redline in neutral, at every intersection where there was a camera…traffic light cam or cell phone cam.

I think we managed to trigger every shutter within 50 yards of the car. Some bystanders jumping up and down, and guys on Broadway Blvd for once taking their eyes off the miniskirts and gazing at the LFA as it drove slowly past. Girls lowering their heads to see WHO was driving it, and even a spontaneous greeting with a random Ferrari F430, who flashed his high beams in approval and a fleet of Scions that sort of chased us around like paparazzi after Lady Gaga in town.

Later in the night, we rendezvous at the Fairmont Hotel with Tom N., a potential customer, and Jim from Toyota Motor Sales USA, who was gracious enough to buy the group of us staff dinner. We all spent the couple of hours to talk about various other cars we've all owned. What an interesting man Tom was, and a collector of many rare cars, and his best line of the night was “A fancy red Ferrari will spin heads, but only the Rolls Royce Phantom will have people chase you into a building, even after you get out of the car….”

The Track Day...

The second day we all met early in the morning at Infineon Raceway to drive the ISF then hard on the toes in the LFA.

I was surprised to see BOTH LFA from Lexus present, getting fueled, tire pressure checked and with OBD checkers attached to make sure there was no issues with any part of the electronics. I mean it just looked like a pair of GT500 team cars getting ready on race day. Adjacent to them, were a dozen IS-F with fresh tires all sitting neatly in two row formation. Lexus officials and hired professional drivers and instructors were on hand to show us around the raceway and go through the basics of performance driving fundamentals. I’m usually on the instructor side of such events teaching people but this time I was very happy to be on the student side of the event, and sitting quietly and listening intently.

After 2 hours of roaming the pits with my digital SLR just shooting photos, I was called to the ISF and a nice gentleman named Bill showed me the ISF in some detail and strapped me into my own ISF. Bill jumped into the ISF just ahead of me and it was time for “follow the leader”

With some humble experience I had in many race venues and even a few occasions on the Infineon full track before, I sort of took my liberty to fling the ISF around staying right on Bill’s car and sometimes coaxing my ISF sideways a bit. The 2012 ISF is very different than the 2009 I drove in Lexus Performance Academy a while back. The 2012 IS-F behaved with lots of tenacity, the same predictable balance of the 2009 and other IS models, but this time there were much less intrusions by the electronic stability assist, and the computer boss inside the car seemed much less relaxed about what I wanted to do with the ISF… It no longer slapped me and denied controls when I tossed the car in all directions and it even allowed for a mild angle steady state drift. Now it’s deserving of the $55,000 price tag I thought… I mean well worth it.

Jumping out of the ISF after half hour, the staff immediately prepared me for a drive of my life in the LFA. 10 minutes of explanation of all the features, what the electronics do, and how things are operated in this exotic carbon-microchip car… It was my turn to roll it out. All by myself, and wide open track.

I had 3 laps on my own before I had to bring it back into the pits. The staff waved me off, and I closed the windows so as to isolate myself with intimate feel of my butt in the snug LFA seat. The electric seat adjust lever seemed nothing of a Toyota I knew, and seemed as it was made from Italian artist-carved platinum white gold, and ergonomically as well done as an iPhone. Couple of clicks on the cluster display mode button brought the sport mode gauge setup on the LCD cluster, the tach dial moved to the center, navigation went away to be replaced by the various temperature and VSC gauges I would need on track. Yes, I need them more than the map of the wine country. The big dial to the right I clicked till the transmission control was manual (paddle) and in sports shift mode. The fine-tune button, reminiscent of a Nakamichi cassette deck allows me to fine tune the clutch actuation speeds. All set to my preference, as much as I can understand of the many modes and features, my thumb moved to the smallish understated “ENGINE START” button. The LFA starter makes sounds of a Formula One external starter box, and nothing like the sound of any normal street car. “whiirrrrr” and the “Whammm!” the V10 starts reliably as any Toyota we know, and settles on the idle speed of 900rpm, but having a hint of skips and blips that ALL race bred engine should… “Ooooh” aggressive overlap cam profile? NICE!!

Just to hear something I longed to hear, I depress the throttle pedal… yes the far right pedal of the full floor pivot alloy pedal box on the floor.

The LFA V10 makes some F1 inspired noises in idle and responds like a motorcycle engine… Oh my god, this is serious!!

A gentle click of the right paddle engaged 1st gear, and slight dab of the throttle to make sure it moved forward… and off I went…

Just as precaution and knowing I’ll run out of 1st before I took my first breath out on the track, I started in 2nd gear out the pits. To my slight surprise, the car felt almost as if it had a torque converter in lower gears. The clutch meet was so gentle the electronic transmission was doing what my left foot with a pedal would do with a 3rd pedal if it had one, and if I had a sleeping baby in the back seat. I mean to the point it felt no different than my LS430 that I drove to the track.

Then lightening struck as I left the pits and I my toes grabbed the piano key gas pedal and squeezed it into the firewall. The V10 engine hopped into the devilish side of the cam lobes and in the most smooth and linear torque curve but seemingly harnessing the thrust of a F22 Raptor, 2nd gear went right up PAST the redline 9K to 9400…and I was half ready for that so another pull on the left paddle to make it go 3rd. It happened in less time than my blink of the eye, and turn 3 came up in what seemed about half the time it took an ISF. By turn 5 and 6 cresting over the hill, I was acclimated to the jet speeds and in my mode for mild sprint of my brains and the higher g-forces. Inch by inch, second by second I raised my speeds along the track, trying to sense for each contact patch and what sort of loads it was enduring. My mind had some idea of a car like this and what rhythms it would have in the dances it was designed to perform. I had a Gallardo in mind, something which I drove a few months earlier in another event.

Some few minutes passed and I was still flying along the raceway, and I began to really feel and realize that this car was still well within limits… One of those cases where my imaginary limits for this car drawn by the Lamborghini was not where LFA wanted to settle. Not being comfortable to actually flog it on the raceway to the limits, I tested the momentary limits by closing the lines and late braking on some of the more marginal corners. Coaxing and flinging the car into motions where it was destabilized and decomposed enough to stop following the normal alignment of the tires…ie, sliding a bit or loosening off the contact patch a little. WHOA! What normally would completely confuse an electronic stability control and any lesser car made in Japan, this car tracked much like a seasoned and dialed race car, and behaved beyond the adhesion limits predictably and confidently. Much in the same way a BMW M3 would allow you to ‘see’ and ‘predict’ the moments beyond, this car did the same…faster.

Also notable was the downshift. All previous paddle shift car I had been in, made me wish for a 3rd pedal and a stick shift. This may be the first time I was satisfied and understood the merits of the paddle shift sports car. Audi R8 was good, and Gallardo was quick to shift, a 996 is gentle and easy, but none were confidence inspiring on the track when things were on tiptoe balance and you knew an untimed driveline shock can send you offline or ruin your mental timing for shifting. The LFA was all about every good attributes on each downshift, and things happened just when I wanted, and clutch met with gentle and positive way that I would do myself if it had a pedal… I can almost feel the pressure plate squeezing onto the flywheel electronically as if LFA ECU was connected to my brain. Lateral steady-state cornering, the car seemed to know that I didn't want an abrupt meet, and in flat out exits, up-shifting, the car knew I was trying to push this car faster into the next braking point and gave me an appropriate hard engagement. The integration of the gearbox and clutch actuators to the gizmos thinking within, was simply magical. Somebody at Lexus wanted to drive my style I guess? Or stole the data off my brain? It was programmed to do what I would want it to do, and even predict what would put a smile on my face. I’ve had my share of “smart car” but this LFA just redefined it to something I needed very little learning from a dynamic character standpoint, and seemed as if the car learned more about me than vice versa.

By the 3rd and final lap, I had become almost at one with the car, and was begging me to take him home… Of course now realizing again, that it would take my house, my wife, and kids as ransom for some Wall Street mafia deal to make that happen, I tried to savor my last lap by easing on the speed and just enjoying the V10 scream in each downshift, and feeling the instantly available and linear progressive 550hp on my lower back as it got pushed by a jet engine from the back every time I floored the pedal. It would cling to corners in utter forces that will peel my face off, and brake with tenacity that will make my eyes roll out of the sockets.

The red flag came out and I had to unwillingly peel off the raceway and into the pits, and the Lexus staff had to yank me off the car that I melted myself onto…

Doing a short musical chair game, I ended up on the passenger seat this time, and then a man named Scott Pruitt climbed in the pilot’s side. I recall this name from 20+ odd years ago, following Indy Car races up and down California. Huumm? Yes, he is now a senior member of elite grand prix drivers who rocked the world of motorsports and still exercises his skills in venues like the LeMan 24hours. Greeting him again from 1 hour before at lunch, he again shakes my hand, and I gladly shake it back with a big happy dog face, and wagging a tail I don’t have. We set off for another few laps. He had the green license from Lexus corporate to kill the LFA if needed to impress any soul that sat in the passenger seat. Scott took me on a HARD driving experience even he should consider HARD. I mean to the level where we were going so far over the limits if the car that we were NOT making the best lap times but we were wasting tires faster than a jumbo jet landing. Big smoky, four-tire-screaming dives into corners, overcooked early vector apex, and full standing smoking exits… and manhole sucking down force speeds down the straights. I can see the rear wing for the first time, raising its mast to grab air and pushing this car in braking, and rapidly dropping into the curve of the rear deck to get itself out of the way when it’s not called for.

Did he scare me? Well yes but only after realizing, again that we were playing with a toy costing as much as my house… But somehow both of us forgetting about all of this price tag and exclusivity out on the track, and THAT is probably a trait of any great sports car.

Conculsion:

The experience I had in the LFA was something completely unexpected. My mind wanted to write this off as another hyper-electronic car that hid any deficiency of a real car, just as all Japanese performance cars do today. The microchips and sensors built for the sole purpose of making the car do what it would not do in its basic pure form without the cyborg-ish attachments. GTR, Lancer, and WRX all seems to be a dog without its magical electronic wonders.

But the LFA was NOT. The LFA was a car that had all the right makings of a great automobile. Even without the electronics, the car would be a fine sports car. The car is made of fine balance, and hardware tuned to the right specs and behaviors, and created from ground up to a fine point standard of only being a driver's joy. It's not a car artificially transformed from a bread box or a stylish coupe. The electronics were there, just to help it transform into a grocery getting commuter when it needed to be, and on the track, gizmos seemed to just go away and become invisible for you so that you enjoy its pure state and balance. It was to me, a complete reversal of what I expected a “smart car” would be… Every crease and vent hole in the body has a purpose, whether it be to direct the air or cool something hot.

I’m sold… (but without a bank to rob) I can attest though, that this is one of my top 10 reasons if I ever needed a reason for a divorce, bankruptcy, or something of a reason to go see God earlier than expected. Also, now I learn from Paul W, one of the highly regarded Lexus engineer/PR person present at the event, that the transmission is an Aisin unit and similar to those used for the Porsche Carrera GT with actuators added and redesigned for the LFA.

At the end of the day, after snapping off the last available shots left in my camera memory card, I climb back into my own LS430 for the drive home.

Somehow, I felt more proud to be a Lexus owner, now that I know this marque that is Lexus and Toyota, has set a standard and had proven to the world that it is capable of crafting such magical automobile like the LFA. And even without an LFA in my own garage, for the first time, I felt that Toyota is now a company that will have heritage of great sports car this day forward. This feeling I have for this car, is the exact reason the LFA needs to exist, and is the very reason it should stay around for many years. The product alone may not make much economical sense for both the manufacturer or the customers, but it isn't about that. It exists to present a legacy, both present and into the future, and an identity of what Lexus brand is capable of and represents as a brand.

As for us at Club4AG. I'm hoping that a lot of the same thinking, if not the exotic components, will make the upcoming FT86 concept and rumored Scion FRS, a fine automobile that is just as fun as this super car is now.

--- Motohide Miwa (Moto-P)

Please send comments to moto@club4ag.com or discuss at http://forums.club4ag.com/zerothread?id=88280

added 3/6/2011:

Question ---"How fast did you take it?"
How fast? That's a very relative question.

In traffic, I went as fast as legally and realistically permissible, just as I would any other car in traffic.

On the raceway, there are physical limits to each race track, and limits of any automobile that will negotiate its turns and straights, its pavement, the day's conditions, and other factors. That said, there was no clock on the track to take lap times. Obviously, when things become a race, some people start to do amazingly stupid things, and Lexus wanted us to experience the car, not put it through a rigorous test of crashworthiness or survivability in such incidents.

A car can exhibit a lot of things below the speeds it is capable of. It can reach and surpass any limits at any speeds. Simply asking it to do things it is not capable of for any given moment of time, on a given location of the track, and given capacity of the driver. As such, I was more interested in how the car handled beyond the adhesion limits, when it was asked to do things over and above the limits of reaching maximum velocity for that specific place and time.

Coaxing the car's wheel beyond the ability for the front tires to grip and change direction, and rocking the car enough to break the balance. These are the points and character that cannot be objectively written as numbers in a catalog. Its not about the lap times or 0-60, or quarter mile. Any car with big enough tires and power can produce numbers. What really makes a truly refined car, and a great car, are of the behaviors that are intrinsic.

The LF-A did things very very well. Actually superb, in most respects and criteria. The car will break traction as predicted, it stays composed through wider range of conditions well past the limits of the tires. The dynamic balance is extremely honest, and the driver can see further past the present time, and predict where the car will go, and if events do not correspond to the intention of the driver, the car allows a lot of room and time to make that correction confidently. If you allow me to speak in terms of drifting, it certainly has a lot of room left for the driver to keep more options in control available.
Having such character, the car can finally be called FUN. And the fun comes from the pure capacity of the car to do what the driver intends to do.

The LFA allows more drivers to reach closer to its limits than cars that are more difficult and less predictable. It makes it more safe in a sense that it allows more options and communication to the driver with tactile senses and feedback. There are not a lot of tricky behaviors hidden within the LFA. It is an honest, basic car from dynamic standpoint. Its very quick and specifications are stratospheric compared to a mundane car, and one must always be aware that things happen very quickly and car covers ground at what seems to be at lighting speeds. But when comparing this car to competition of other ultra high performance vehicles, it's one of the most forgiving car I have ever driven at such performance envelope.

This trait is what makes the LFA a great car. Like I mentioned in the impression, the LFA is made from a pure foundation of a good car, and the electronics seems just to be there to allow it to be more mundane and easy to live with, and to extend the safety envelope to make faster speeds easier to achieve. While even without any of it, the car would be excellent, and electronic assist seem not be there to hide the flaws, and seems to present itself less and less as you become more aware of the platform, balance and character.

How fast did I go? I have no idea, I was having way too much fun, and learning way too much about this car that seemed to reach speeds so effortlessly. Perhaps if I had 1 hour more in the seat, then I would have had more time to read the speedometer and count the seconds it took to lap, but for the brief drive, that wasn't my priority. For me it was much more important to see what it did, when it did and how it did it. Every move and every decision I made, I wanted to see how the car tried to executed it. And the more that was predictable and comforting, without the hesitations, without the protests and drama, the more I fell in love with the LFA. Perhaps a Ferrari with its high strung road manners are something others feel to be lovely, and a Porsche with its taught and focused intent to be fast and harsh is another trait to love. The LFA is truly a Lexus in this respect. Its muted but capable in specs, and also allows much more civilized way of using it when its not flying at 200mph or pulling 1.2G's around a bend, and all of this available with the utter reliability relatively, of a Toyota brand car.

As a drivers car, if you ignore the sheer speeds, and just concentrate on the experience, I can almost say that an LFA is closer to a well tuned AE86, or a NSX, a BMW M3 or a Audi R8. It's dynamics are sheer joy for the driver who wants to become one with the car. It is very different from a GTR or a Lancer Evo, a Gallardo or a Subaru, where the speeds and handling comes very artificially from technological wonders. The latter type of cars always exhibit some flaws to the driver where the electronics left off. I'm not discrediting these cars, and I truly enjoy driving technological marvels as something we need to preview for the future.

However, the LFA doesn't seem to have any. Its pure and simple, and electronics are there but only to add to the core goodness of the car.

Keep in mind, I was probably going faster than any of those cars I mentioned, in the LFA. Just that fun factor was so much more present and never did I have to fight or be nervous about reaching such speeds, that I was much more immersed in the car, than the actual speeds. I did see triple digits down the straights, and things came and flew past the windows faster than most other cars I have been in... No denying about that, but somehow, it just felt so natural that it was there, and I was never less comfortable after a couple of laps than if I was doing that at half the speeds in something else that I drive daily... That is what makes this car incredibly attractive, and truly a Lexus original.

TF109B of Club Lexus ---
Good read, nice to hear things like that about the LFA. Very good descriptions! I see it's easy to find your limits in it. Like Autocar did with the 09 race car, Sutcliffe said he could sit there all day and set faster and faster lap times. It was as if the limits of the car were only dictated by how far you were willing to take it. Must be an amazing machine!
My response:
Yes it actually is... It's just such a docile, predictable car that the only thing that makes you hold back is simply that velocities this car attains.
And the more you become accustomed to the speeds and realize at each step that there is just that bit more, you contemplate and proceed.
Yes, the driver's own mental state and skill set are the only limitation to making it go closer to the LFA's capabilities.

But it is more important to note that no matter what the skill set, experience level, or talent, the LFA is fun at any level.
And at any speed, tossing and turning like a F16 fighter at your own comfort level.
That's because the inherent trait of the car is never nasty, and at any given speed, it is always asking you to take it further if you're comfortable.
Not a challenge really, but with the same invitation that you would kindly receive from your local Lexus dealership, the car seems to have that courtesy too. No Joke!

The post The Lexus LFA Driving Experience - What is it like, to drive the ultimate Toyota Supercar that happens once every 40 years... appeared first on Club4AG.

2000GT, Sports 800, and modern counterparts the LFA and FR-S

Toyota 2000GT and Toyota 86 (Scion FR-S) body cues compared. 　Some of the obvious clues that many elements of the 2000GT were inspirations for the designers in body design of the 86/FRS.

See why the FR-S, despite the controversy of it's intended marketing association with the old AE86 in spirit, that the body design is much more closer to the 2000GT.

The Sports 800 shown here is a recent restoration/modification to a race configuration by Mr.Tamaru, and partaken in the Monterey Historic Car Reunion 2014 recently.

The post 2000GT, Sports 800, and modern counterparts the LFA and FR-S appeared first on Club4AG.

Snap On Tools will bring a party to South Bay car fanatics!
At the end of this month, on a weeknight of Tuesday, October 29th, we can gather our cars, any car, and not only show and tell, but win a bunch of Snap On Tools!

It will be held in a parking lot of Del Amo Fashion Center.

Multiple Display booths, trucks, tools, and much more! Just come out and have some serious fun. Admission is FREE with food catered to folks arriving early!

See you there folks!!

The post SNAP ON TOOLS - MASTERS of METAL TOUR, come win some Snap On Tools and Gear! appeared first on Club4AG.

Cusco braces for Scion FR-S

I just got these installed, first purchase, and test fitting at Cusco USA. I'm happy to report to all of you that installation of the left-hand-drive master brace stopper equipped tower brace, diagonal supports, and oil catch cans installed fine, fit perfectly, and functions as designed. The oil catch tank does operate fine with EGR system with open vent configuration too, but can be chosen to install in a closed loop as required by emissions regulations in areas required, as well.

The tow hooks fit fine as well, but does require to you either remove the hook port cover, or drill it for a integrated look. This is without the covers for now, still debating if I want to drill or just leave it off till I need it on my track outing. I put it on both ends for you all to see.

Enjoy! They are available now from CUSCO USA.

The post Cusco braces for Scion FR-S appeared first on Club4AG.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway, December 9th, 2011

Lexus GS350 F-Sport Dynamic Driving Experience

It's a winner, because it can tuck nose, shake the tail, and smoke out
of a corner easier than a BMW5 for the first time in GS history.

It's not about speed, any car today with enough power and sticky tires
will pump out numerical specs.

What I mean is that the handling, balance, and tactile feel, as well as responding of the driver inputs, predictability, precision of the resulting inputs, driving manners, all correlate to the fun and safety factor of things that can't be expressed in numerical specs.

What the 2013 GS is about is all of this, it isn't fixed on the general marketing, and shoot out of specs in catalogs. It is what German cars have always had, and now the GS has surpassed in comparison in my view, to the E350 and 535i.

Mercedes Benz E350 felt as it should. Very predictable, confidence inspiring, but at the same time, classical in safety-oriented mild pushover setting, a lazy and slow steering that is perfect on a long
interstate. I mean it's forte isn't a short racetrack with rolling and sequential corner, but I can imagine it will be one of the most comfortable and perfectly tuned cars for the interstates in the USA.
Again, I know traditionally, the E-Class also has a tuned weapon package in the name of AMG...And we didn't have one here to shake down.

Of course, the larger, wider, sticker tires and BIG 6.3L V8 will take care of speed issues, but will it respond and communicate with the driver as well as the new 2013 GS?

I doubt it.

 BMW 5 series have been one of my favorite sedans for slapping and shaking on a track as far as 4 door boxes go for the last 20 years. (And probably longer for those who's had their track skills longer and older)... And this time, it still does exhibit a fair amount of fun like it always has. Same amazing road feel, same rock solid chassis that keeps the alignment straight and true. However, I guess the technology and tuning on these cars didn't feel too different than it has had in the past. Great, mind you, but the Lexus just seems to have taken a giant leap forward and came out ahead of this. I really can't criticize the BMW 5, as this is more a flavor and character BMW perhaps wanted to seek, leaving the HOT LAP duties for the big muscle M5, for which Lexus does not offer a counter attack at this time..... yet? (GS-F???)

Not twitchy,but quick to change the nose vector, and able to sustain a really high rate of change at that. So even with a fairly abrupt steering motion, the car will instantly respond, with a strong, confident grip level, which seems to not fade away in gradual under steer.

It just plants and goes. At the same time, the rear contact patches stay really manageable and tame, and only when you ask it for a even faster rate of rotation, it will very predictably rotate the car, with a very even axis, somewhere around the front seat area. There's not much wiggling or rocking until the VSC cuts you off from the antics and stupidity, (if you didn't turn the feature off), and gradually rock the tail back in place and kill your
throttle until the car thinks its safe to let you use the gas again.

But overall, and humor aside, everything happens faster, easier, and with more precision than ever before in a car of this weight class.
The F-Sport just seemed to be a bit stiffer, and exhaust louder, but there isn't a huge change in SPORT and SPORT + modes in terms of character at the limits. What I do notice more is that Normal modes provide the same level of assurance and agility, but with a bit more soft and full-stroked  manner of wheel movements. I almost think the SPORT (all GS) and SPORT + (available in F Sport and Hybrid) modes are the natural chassis character of the car, while NORMAL is the truly advanced system setting, that makes all this happen in LEXUS comfort and quiet...

I like the Standard GS350 just as much as the "F Sport" equipped one. The F just adds a bit more flavor to those who prefer it, to something that's already excellent.

One note, the Hybrid GS, though it seems to shoot out of the line just as aggressive and tenaciously, does carry a bit more weight? (I'm not sure exactly how much more) but I did feel it to be slightly more taxing on the tires. So what happens in an instant, for any vector change, the Hybrid took a tiny fraction of a second more, and with tiny fraction of a numerical G-force less in any direction. However, probably not enough for most drivers to notice unless when comparing them at such limits and side by side one after the other among the three models.

In 1990, The 1st GS was born with Toyota Crown refinements packed in a European styled body.

The 2nd GS in 1998 came with more luxurious and stylish cues with a bit more practicality.

The third GS completely revised the package to fit the millennium standards.
This fourth GS, takes all that was great about the previous three, and solidified all of it cohesively and carefully into a billet stiff chassis, which in turn, probably allows for softer spring and damper but suspension able to keep a more rigid dynamic alignment in order. This and the software side of bushings, valvings, and sub-frame mounts re-tuned to a new level of driving pleasure, and crosses past the line that was once set by Mercedes in safety, and handling manners reserved and once dictated by BMW.

True driver's car, now. the 2013 GS. Even without the F-Sport package.
If you are in the market for a mid sized luxury driver's sedan, hold off and buy this one next year.

You will not be disappointed.
I wholeheartedly recommend it.
This result was more shocking to me, than I really preconceived.

The post Lexus GS350 F-Sport Dynamic Driving Experience appeared first on Club4AG.

My first days with an FRS

A time spent with Scion FRS and the people who made it all happen.

One day in the fall of 2007, I had a call from one of my dear contacts that, Mr.Haraguchi, the designer who worked in the team for the creation of the AE86 in the 80’s, was here to see me in Los Angeles, and that he had a team of engineers working on a new concept.  They had asked if I can set aside a few hours for a coffee and chat in Orange County, CA.

It isn’t a usual thing at all for me to receive such invitation and while I have met Mr.Haraguchi on a few occasions, I have never really had his personal invitation for anything specific to see me.  So on that week, I had notified and called upon a few colleagues from Club4AG, who among them served as core of what we were doing at the time.

At the time of this meet, at Starbucks Coffee in Irvine, CA, we were introduced to a team of engineers, some very young and talented, and headed by a man named Mr.Tetsuya Tada.  Mr.Haraguchi introduced Mr.Tada as the man who will be the head of a new design team, who will be bringing back sports cars to Toyota.  There wasn’t a clear notion, or even an attempt at the concept of what it was to be.  All they knew was they wanted a sub-Y2, 000,000 Japanese Yen car, that weighed as little as possible, and had all the soul of what a true sports car fan might want.  On this first meeting, there were 3 young engineers, all of whom, in their 20’s with credentials, seemingly qualified them as rocket scientists, with minds and mathematical qualifications to probably fly the Shuttle.  To me, engineering a complex modern car seemed to be something they did while eating breakfast.

But Tada expressed to me, that they had not a clear understanding of what makes a car carry a soul among fans and proud owners.  I was told to not only provide them with reasons why I love the AE86, and all its traits, and also, a larger picture of why a Mustang continues to sell using an archaic platform.  Also relavent questions like, "why a Porsche 911 still has a deep fan base with very little styling changes since the 50’s 356 Coupe. Why does a BMW sedan continue to carry a notion of the best sports sedan, despite the classic conservative look (at the time pre-Bangle design era)?  Why do Harley Davidson owners ride thousands of miles to meet once a year in the middle of North America to party? "

As the team of engineers embarked on their journey to design a sports car that would capture the essence and soul beloved by fans, they quickly realized the importance of not only innovative engineering but also meticulous maintenance. A sports car's performance and longevity rely heavily on regular upkeep and expert care. This is where the role of exceptional auto repair services becomes crucial. Ensuring that every component of the car, from its engine to its suspension, remains in optimal condition is essential for delivering the thrilling driving experience that enthusiasts crave.

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Meanwhile, at Swanswaygarages, a similar spirit of exploration guides their approach to serving customers and enthusiasts. Recognizing the evolving landscape of automotive preferences, they embrace diversity in their inventory, offering a range of options to cater to every taste and need. Alongside classic favorites, like the timeless BMW sedan, Swanswaygarages proudly showcases modern marvels like the byd car for sale, embracing innovation while honoring the enduring appeal of automotive tradition. By fostering a community of enthusiasts and providing a platform for discovery, they embodies the spirit of automotive passion, echoing the journey undertaken by Mr. Tada's team in their pursuit of the perfect sports car.

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All of this, were never really a very rooted culture or agenda at Toyota for any continual basis, he explained.   And that Tada was adamant that before a single line was drawn on the canvas, he wanted to make absolutely sure, that the team of designers understood what this car will have to carry.  The sprit, the soul, ghost of glory, heritage, and matter of intrinsic, from visual, audio, and tactile, as well as from a numerical and dynamic standpoint, something very clear and defined, had to be integrated in the design.

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To prove his point, the rental car he had driven from the Airport for the duration of his stay in Southern California, was a Mustang HERTZ GT500. And his calendar included a packed-busy schedule of everything from VW meets, to Import car shows, Solo2 Autocross, to Cars and Coffee meets.

Immediately after this meeting, I was secretly asked to put an anonymous poll in our forum of Club4AG community, requesting a wish list of what would define the next 2+2 compact sub $20,000 sports car.  Needless to say, the community spoke.  Much bickering, ranting, explaining, telling stories, dreaming, listing, I mean, the folks simply started to speak with huge passion for their own definition of what their affordable sports car would be.

Tada-san never really revealed to me whether he was following the thread, but for every occasion, and a chance he had, back in LA until 2009, for two years, we kept in contact, and kept assuring me that the project is alive.  I can imagine the huge obstacles the project faced from the start, as what we were talking about was something which every other car-maker in the world has basically given up on, by late 2000’s.  SUV was the craze of the decade, and even Porsche in this duration, had released a popular Cayanne SUV.

From any common investment and sales standpoint, a heavy R&D for a car that yields not any premium price, nor a huge expected volume could hardly stand a chance against the funding and product planning departments in a large firm.  We all knew this, and yet, the project moved forth in secrecy for a few years, and while short rumors and tales were floating about, no one really expected anything until 2009, when TOYOTA released the FT86 concept car, and marketed this unfinished concept for all the world to see in video game called Gran Turismo 5.

BAM! The tone was set, and intent became VERY obvious at this point.   Soon a dedicated website popped up.  Then the news of its recently acquired partner, Subaru, was to take a majority stake at provision of the hardware components and assembly of this vehicle.  The rest is history and anyone can Google and find every minute detail and discussion on the FT86 siblings, and Tada-san, and his team from Subaru and Toyota are racking up mentions and credited in every article, and in frequently treated as celebrities in automotive journalism today.  I won’t write about how this car was received in the media, as that is something anyone can find in any media as of April 25^th, 2012 in any of the popular press releases.

Here below, I will just concentrate on my own impression, biased from a AE86 enthusiast that I am, and from the Sunday racer motorsport geek with many years of passion.  I wanted to just be raw and unbiased from any relations to the firm that is Subaru or Toyota, and would like to share the “soul, passion, and intrinsic” as I originally asked Mr. Tada in 2007, and how this came to become a real, moving, driving car, at the promised Y2,000,000 Yen mark.  (Yes, the Japanese pricing target has been met, and only the exchange rates with US Dollar, had pushed the price point in the USA by round up figure I imagine, of $4200 to $24,200 MSRP) as in the form of the 2012 Scion FRS.

Fast Forward to April 18^th, 2012.  After months of very rapid news, flowing at 100mph on the web, and few brief contact with Toyota and Scion staff in various departments fortunately allowing me a peak here and there…  The day I waited since the fall of 07 is finally here.

A day when I can really be allowed to test drive the car on the stages that count the most.  Autocross sampler stage, a wet skidpad, and full blown raceway, rented exclusively for this end.  And another day of driving through twisted canyon roads, city traffic of Las Vegas, and through day and night of mundane scenarios.  The temperature was nearly 95F, and very dry, each day of the 2 day experience and we had a chance to see the car perform in the most ideal scenario for endurance typical to Southern California’s Sunday racing enthusiasts.

The first day started with a dinner and meet, and here I was once again reunited with my favorite man by now, Mr.Tada.  Also thankful as ever, in more recent terms, were the officials and executives of Scion USA, Scion Racing, and other staff from many parts of what makes TOYOTA hum as a brand of global dominance and utter undisputed quality.  And more importantly to me, a generosity and passion, all of the staff who had touched the SCION FRS, who kept me in the loop of all this busy planning and spectacular events of recent.
It was here, where I was really allowed to meet and talk freely of all the details of things I had been doing up to this day.

The driving experience…

On the morning of the main event day, I had rolled out of bed at 5am, and mentally went over what was to become of today, my expectations, my passion, excitement, and fears, joys, scrutiny, all coming together to push my emotions in every direction even before I left the hotel room at the Red Rock Resort.  I sat on the bed, held my hand up to the invisible steering wheel, and made sure my eyes worked, and my butt mounted human G-Sensors all worked.  I imagined the best track outing day and the best lap of one day long ago in my past, in my AE86 and sat like a Tibetian monk, meditating to the point where I remember every sense, sounds, pressures, and touch of how that AE86 reacted to my inputs, and vice versa.  Then I thought of the many days in 2001~2007 when  I taught drifting in the Drift Day open track, and how I gained muscle memory for drifting at low speeds to teach new drifters, the very foundation of car control.  Then the long drives I took in the AE86 with friends, a long noisy yet delightful days I spent in the AE86 for two decades.   I was virtual racing in my mind for 20 minutes, and I headed out for a walk.  Faintly in the distance, I saw the canyon roads along the giant red rocks turn purple in the morning light.  Finally, it dawned on me.

Today was the day, when the beloved AE86 will pass the torch to a new era of “86” with the FRS.  The AE86 will never go away, and it will never be replaced by anything.  It is a classic we enthusiasts named “Hachiroku.”   It is a name that is not a property of Toyota, but of the fans who coveted them for nearly, the last 3 decades.

Boldly enough, the Scion FRS sports a “86” badge on its flank….

Marketing officials from Japan and USA both gave me similar reasons on why the 86 graces the product name of the car in Japan, and as a badge of association to the past in the USA.  But they know damn well by now, through serious heat and debate on the internet, that this car “BETTER” live up to the name.   A name we as enthusiasts invented long ago, and in an era when folks at TOYOTA only knew and referred to as low-volume-odd variations of a COROLLA.  Whatever reasons the marketing folks had, this BETTER have a darn good explanation and be backed by the car’s character…

After a very neat breakfast, and a series of speeches by the awesome VP of Scion, Jack Hollis, and getting a dose of his truly satisfying pep-talk speech style, and the heavily accented English, but extremely sincere and passionate speech by the creator, Mr.Tada himself…  We were escorted down to the front valet area of the Red Rock.  There, as if it was magic, where I only saw RV’s and shuttle busses for retired rich folks just the day before, was clear of all cars.   There sat a fleet of nine, Scion FRS in all colors, and transmission combinations, brightly reflecting the morning sunlight and beaming it off to us in a collaborative greeting of colors and light.

Promptly and sincerely, as in the tradition of the best Japanese hospitality, each of the journalists were assigned with a car.  Go Taira of FT86Club.com forums, sought to have me as a driving buddy, for the 65 mile drive to the raceway.  Both having a funky name, the others started to call us the “Go-Moto.”

Go is an enthusiastic Subaru Impreza owner, and himself a passionate tuner and driver.  Still young in his 20’s, but with roots in Okinawa, where last breed of the hardest core canyon racers had taught him the real “86,” as something he’s never experienced deeply, but respected.  Fine luck!  This was the perfect partner for the day.  I have had no previous attachment to the modern Subaru flat four, and that was where his knowledge could come in handy.

Out of manner and respect, and me having seniority of “senpai,” he kindly insisted that I take the helm first, and set out on the drive.  Gratefully and respectfully, I accepted.

I rolled my butt end into the very low, and firmly bolstered seat bottom, and swung my legs into the cabin floor.  This ritual is almost reminiscent of the 2000GT and Sports 800, both of which are totally similar in seat height in relation to the ground.   It is also similar to a race-prepared AE86, with low mount full buckets and suspension so low, that the muffler pipes have to be rerouted under the differential housing to clear.  Totally satisfying so far to the seasoned AE86 driver like me… Yes, 1 point for FRS.

Grabbing the seat slider bar in front of the seat, and adjusting it to get my feet well situated, I move my hand to the side lever to adjust the rake of recline.  Arms straight forward and wrist to touch 10 and 2 o’clock.  This is my habit on getting a rough estimate of where rear seatback should come.  A bit tight for street driving in casual manner, but this was a serious drive, I opted for the Defcon 5 mode position.  I find a second lever forward of the recliner, and paddling it, I found that it can move the seat up and down, ah, a Nice touch.  Not all of us are the same torso height you know.   I chose the middle height, I think, that naturally put the mirrors and cluster view and can be seen through the spokes of the wheel.  I then realized, with the pushed back, pod side mirror view ,and the triangular support sub-window glass, mounted fore of the door, the view totally resembles the Lexus LFA!    That is until you look again and it has none of the suede wrapped center console, or the exotic billet alloy controls, reminding you that this is not a $400,000 car.  Close enough though! I’m excited, and yes, another point for the FRS.

The FRS has no option it seems for the convenient TOYOTA SMART KEY, and Tada san did explain, that such devices only complicate the matters for tuners, and 3^rdparty custom workers.  I've kind of gotten used to the Lexus and Prius at home with lots of convenience, but Tada san has a point, so I gave him another score. The traditional key it is.

Ignition switch to the engine by twisting the key was something even the LFA keeps, so why not?  I give it a firm twist.  And HELLO!!  The Subaru sourced, Toyota re-mastered, FA20 (opps, the 4UGSE) engine turns fast and smooth, and wakes to a silent morning idle.  How docile, but where is the noise and shaking of the AE86? Half point minus!  But that is a bit extreme to be asking, and something I can fix myself later with a straight pipe and loopy cams?   With my toes all curled up around the smallish gas pedal (damn you lawyers! ), I try squeezing the throttle, and "vroom" she goes.   Go, with a big grin,  turns to me, and we both smile like kids at the entrance to Toys 'R Us.
I do it again, and we giggle and smile… and again and again, like dumb 10 year olds, but each time, our comments becoming more mature.  “Nice huh?” Go blurts out of his excited face, and “yes” I reply…   The morning drive car was with the paddle shift automatic, so I was sort of skeptical and in my head, all sensors turned on, and that evil judge of scrutiny was in full alert.

Familiar with any other Scion, the tri-dial climate control is really simple to use.  Perhaps lacking the luxury factor, but it works fine, and for this outing, I could care less if it was not even there! Hell, none of my AE86’s had AC and some not even heaters or fans!  Once I set all the equipment carefully to not interrupt me later in the drive, I dropped my hand to the shift lever, and lowered the side brake lever.   As posted in my previous writing, the shifter and brake lever is right smack in the middle of your natural arm travel from the wheel.  It is as perfect as it gets.  And many of you who changed knobs or wheel, or replaced seats in your car, know how slightest change in placement can be felt and seem awkward.  But the FRS, the body does indeed become one with the car.  10 points here!

Paddles on the rear of the wheel are attached to the wheel, not the column.  So it does chase your hand in normal drives and is really a joy to use.  It’s a one-way paddle and works only in “pull” direction.  It is arranged so that it’s left for up shift, and right for down—easy enough. There is a +/- gate on the shift lever for manual controls at the shifter as well, and both work at any time, so you can switch to either operation.  (Toyota still has a weird habit of putting the up shift in aft, and down in forward direction, which is reverse of any video games or other semi-auto controls on other cars, but again, it’s a single electrical pin underneath, and we don’t leave such things unchanged in our quest for custom!  Something to do already! How fun when I get mine!) No point deduction here.

Ok long enough of random talk, we set off out of the hotel entrance, and off we go!

We hit a sleeping policeman, that annoying bump in the road to slow cars down a alleyway or parking lot… The FRS soaks it with firm bump in the butt, but with no unexpected harshness.  Go commented that it was “soft and compliant” as we rolled over them gently on the way out to the main road.  I agree.

Our first destination was the canyons of Red Rock State Park, just adjacent to the Hotel it was named after, and that is where we are to get out scenic drive for photography, and a taste of tight, narrow mountain pass.

Entering the canyon and swinging the car side to side gently and firmly, the immediate sense of how fast the car reacts to the inputs became apparent.  You’ve heard it a million times by now, and yes, the extremely rigid chassis and low center of gravity allows the car to shift vectors quickly and precisely, and more importantly, with softer compliant suspension and with predictability.  It's a flavoring approach the German cars had for a while, and Toyota has recently matched any German feel this time.  The recent drive in the 2013 GS350 also gave me a similar thought.

It feels good, almost too good to be true in this aspect.  It darts around as you feed steering with precision and tracks over irregularities in the road very safely, pinned with very compliant suspension, just giving you enough roll and pitch to change the contact patch pressure, no more, no less. The balance of the car isn’t designed for superior cornering speed it seemed, but more for the proper predictable FUN balance, where driver has the most flexibility in making his intent become a dynamic reality, given skills and learning.   But the threshold is so high in the FRS chassis that it can keep teaching you, and be upgraded I suppose for a long time to come.

The “Eco” tires are no news, and the Prius sport option tires in 17” variety are the stock shoes, with 620 treadwear!!  But deceptively enough and somewhat brilliantly, it does add character to the car.  Tada san didn't lose a battle with the finance, and product planning lords of the firm.  This was intentional he said, to give the FT86 siblings, the classic feel of 80's technology-level grip, and to provide true driving fun, at sane, mortal speeds.

The rolling resistance is reduced by design on this class of tire, by increasing the sidewall stiffness and tire deformation.  What this translates to a sports car like this, is that the steering and cornering "response" is rather high, and motions are more immediate like a sport tire.  Sure, the sheer grip level is significantly lower but if you love the AE86, the easy, safe, antics you can pull off at slow grip tire of the right design is joy!   I really didn’t think to see this as a cool thing, but I am a believer here.  If you compare numbers with your geeky buddy or with body-builder Joe the Muscle head, go buy a Mustang or a GTR…  This is not for you.  This is more for Skater Bob, the half-pipe trick guy, and aspiring race car driver in the making.

The brakes are firm, and the pedal stroke to braking pressure ratio, and balance is exemplary.  It is again, very precise and firm.  Toyota has been pretty excellent here the past several years on most of the cars.  The ABS just keeps improving as well.  And like most modern 2010 era cars, this one grinds speed off surely over the road while giving you a strong feedback and controllability.   As much as these ECO tires can give it, even while loaded to one side, or in a unstable posture of uneven suspension loads, it works.   If not overly tenacious due to tire, it is predictable, and therefore fun, and to the driver, a sense of safety margin.

Engine?  Read on, I’ll save that music talk for later when we get this out on the track a few paragraphs later…

Missing a couple of stops due to having way too much pleasure, I swap seats with Go, my partner in the drive, and we head down the mountains to the long 40 mile stretch of desert highway.  Straight as an arrow and at a cruise speed of 60-80mph.   The automatic transmission has gradually taller gears starting from 3^rd to 6^th, and the 6^th gear in relation to the manual, does have much taller gear. I’m not going to go back to read the Press Release to check on ratio.  I just want to get your head away from specs and charts and read what I have to say.  So you go find it on the web, or on my website Club4AG for details on geek figures.

All I want to mention here is that it has a seemingly pleasant note from the engine at cruise, and is just as comfy for two as any standard midsize passenger car in Camry class.  OK, I’ll be fair, it feels a lot quieter than a xB or xD, and on par with the tC on cabin noise, but distinctly different. Conversations are easily held in the cabin at 80mph pushing through strong desert with head wind.  Because the resonation from the engine is of the deeper low note, the rated decibel is rather high, but never really obtrusive to the ears or the passenger's conversational atmosphere.  Wind noise is almost non-existent at 60mph, and noticeable at 80mph around the rather large, pod shaped side mirrors, but again, not annoying like some cars.  There is a slight tire noise too, but no more than typical in a Prius, obviously.   The neat tricks in the minute details of the body and claddings of this car, contributes to neat, calculated flow of air, and resulting in the very quiet cabin space at high speeds.  The little vortex generator bump on the rear light assembly, the drooping roof center, the coke bottle tuck in the front fenders, the wheel flare crease line, the rear diffuser bottom, tucked wiper blades and washer nipple…  List goes on and on…  Mr.Tada also mentioned that because of this, there are very little sound deadening materials used on the FRS, and as such, allowed for even more weight reduction.

“Are you ready for the track?”  I said to Go, upon reaching the Spring Mountain Motor Resort.  "YEAH~~"
Scion USA was generous enough to rent out this really expensive motor sports park for the duration of our sampling.  It's like wine country in Napa, but for uber-car geeks!

Phase 1:  The Skid Pad

Phase one of the FRS-tasting, was on the testing tarmac area.   There was a small skidpad made with pylons, and having a sprinkler-soaked standing water condition.  Our instructor for the area was Ken Gushi, my former Drift Day student who kept sneaking into our venue at age 14, now a seasoned pro-drifter in formula D -- a full decade later!  How interesting!

Ken took each one of us in his passenger seat, in the manual transmission FRS, and demonstrated the slow, graceful water-dance.  One by one till my turn came up.

When I got in the seat however, Ken got a bit tense?   I don’t know what went though his mind, but suddenly with me in the passenger’s seat, he spun out 5 times on the wet 10mph drift.  I guess I made him nervous being the old fart of a teacher I was a decade earlier, but at the same time, even when he did pull off a nice counter steer picture shot, I can see his hands and feet were very busy.  “Oh dang, he said, you’re making me nervous!” he said, but in truth, his lack of ability to fully tame the FRS on this area on water was making me crap in my pants!

Anyway, so after all the drivers got the chance to ‘feel’ the rhythm of the dance, I strapped in to go at it myself.

For “antics mode” you press the TRC button and hold it there for 5 seconds.   The FRS cluster will display “TRC OFF” and “VSC OFF” which indicates that any intervention of the electronic nanny is off and she’s now on vacation.

On the try pavement, it was as joyous as any go-kart just 2 hours before, how can this be any different on wet?   I climbed in and casually kicked the clutch pedal expecting some display of rooster tail and slip and slide.   Slip in slide? I did…  As soon as I reached an angle I liked to hold, it was difficult to hold it there.  Combination of big variances in water depth, my lack of time with FRS, and sheer lack of speedy precision resulted in the FRS spanking my butt for my unseasoned and abrupt controls.  Drifting an RV in snow seemed easier, (I say this from experience too…)   So after spinning the car 4 of 7 attempts on holding the drift in a figure 8 pattern, I stopped and went through the 22 year list of tricks in my bags of holding a car sideways.  OK, I did the braking drift, driveline shock, natural yaw moment induced, the amateur classic of side-brake basics, what gives?

Then I thought about the time I tried in a NSX…  Can this car be THAT balanced where it just can’t push enough weight around and over to initiate so easily?  Is the car that good?  Is the threshold of balance so thin in this particular case where simple depth of water and surface change can upset the balance?
Then I set out again, not minding the AE86-ness much, and being as delicate and fine toed with my shoes as the old NSX mode.  Success!   The answers to the previous questions were, YES, YES, and YES.   The FRS is so well balanced on the four tires, and making the low-grip Eco tires do so much work, that upsetting the car at only 10mph, and with hydro-planing depth affected the contact patch  a LOT more than the usual car we are accustomed to do it with.  Front and rear just has to be very evenly poised, and accurate triggers for driver-induced fish-tails are pretty difficult at such low grip due to the sheer greatness of the chassis and balance.
But you know what?   This is a sign…  It is a sign that I should be REALLY happy, as this car just totally required 100% of my concentration already.  And to be totally proficient at this trick, I would need another 10 years of fun-filled practice with a teacher like FRS!  25 points!!    On the skidpad, this is a same caliber car as a Lotus Elise S2!  At 1/3 the price tag!

Lesson 2: (note I changed the term from Phase to Lesson…ha-ha) The Autocross (Gymkhana)

The second portion of the FRS sample drive was on a small 30 second autocross track.  This was not a timed autocross, so that we can concentrate on absorbing the car, rather than getting preoccupied with driver ego-ism with the random guy next to you in the waiting chair.  The track looped around the outer perimeter of the course with occasional and well placed slalom, then a series of switch-backs that required 1^st gear on each of the hairpins.

Here, the available cars were all Automatics, with paddles.  We were given unlimited time and laps on this track during this session.

I adjusted the seats as usual, and twisted the seatbelt a few times to lock in the waste belt, so the retractor can’t pull loose.  It's an old auto-crosser trick.  Then again I decided to go with the ALL OFF, mode.   TRC off for 5 seconds, all the lights come up warning me “You are on your OWN buddy!”  And off I went.

My GOD, the FRS handles like a dream here.   By the second sweeping corner I can predict the tire scrub angle and end up neutral steering the car out of the corners on a gradual 4 wheel zero counter drift.  The Eco tires do not grip aggressively and speeds aren't astonishing, but the engine torque was just enough to push the car out of every turn with enthusiasm, and at each braking point, the FRS will tuck it’s nose, making full use of the front tire, inside and out very precisely, allowing the user to make split second decision on what to do with the rear.  Dive deeper to swing it out under throttle? Or hold the cornering speed with patience to seek the next apex clipping point?  You choose, the FRS will follow.  The difficulty exhibited on the wet skidpad was non-existent here, and the car had enough available grip to use the suspension well, and transfer the weight as driver saw necessary for any braking or cornering maneuver.

Just a note on the AT paddle shift:  In the case of the AT box car, the ALL OFF mode also requires you to shift manually by paddle.  And but usually in a less sporty car with paddle, the AT shifts are lazy, untimely, unpredictable, and prohibitive for downshifting.   Not so with the FRS!  The shifts happen precisely, the engagement is positive, the downshifting is allowed and performed to a 6500rpm flip-blip throttle simulated heel and toe.  It’s as nice a feeling as the Ferrari 360 or a Gallardo.  Honestly…  Despite the more maintenance free, torque converter platform design, the new FRS AT transmission defies all previous notions, and it is actually usable in venues like this.  It truly is a "sports" automatic.  2-3 gears are a notch taller than in the MT and after spending a lot of time, a seasoned driver will definitely get a slightly faster lap.  But off the bat, and with most average sports car Sunday Racer, I think the AT will prove to be quicker most of the time with much less work, so that he or she can totally concentrate on the road.

Since I had the time with this area, I also tried the VSC ON, TRC ON, and in the Sports Mode.  This is the safe-mode sports transmission and VSC programming, where transmission will shift on its own, and the VSC will intervene in a slightly less strict manner than in normal AT mode.   In this mode, the transmission missed the timing for the deepest tightest 1^st gear, but in all other wider corners, it did everything I would have done.  Gear changes occur at peak torque and higher rpm hold, and downshifts occur as you dive into an apex.  Quite impressive I thought….  And for those who like to blast around in more hazardous areas like snow, rain or in the canyons, this might be the most safe and fun way to haul around.  It won’t keep you from crashing the car, as that is done by stupidity and driver, but if you are responsible and mannerly, the car will help you stay safe and still provide that margin for fun.  Nice huh? If you have $20K left in payments, and want to not see your car being peeled off the walls by Frank Scotto Towing Company and 911 calls huh?

25 points here as well!

Lesson 3:  The raceway.

With half the day left on the raceway, we moved on to the race track, the real home of the FRS for most of us.  Spring Mountain Motor Resort’s main raceway track is a 3.4 mile race course with a diverse combination of flat wide straights, medium speed basic corners, low speed reducing radius infield corners, with undulations and elevation change, that challenge a driver and tax the specification of any car attempting to cover it with speed.  We had our FRS on the Medium 2.3 mile configuration that included all the elevation changes and tighter corners but cutting the long section short so that we can use the car up to bottom of 4^th gear. It was a fine selection for the FRS as higher speeds will only complicate matters, and increase the risks unnecessarily in a 200hp class production trim, street tire cars.

The FRS here was available in Manual and Auto, and we drove both for my tests.  Our friend, Mr.Tada was available in the paddock area to discuss any matters.  But for the most of the afternoon, all he was getting were smiles and complements, a pat in the back or firm handshake and permanent grin on people’s faces.

First car out for me was the Automatic.  Again, the car showed brilliant balance, and form.   The long sweepers with a hump before the apex is  normally a pretty scary thing, but the FRS gently compressed the body on the ground, then floated past the laterally loaded peak of the hump, and as soon as the tires had enough weight back on it, the steering wheel and butt gradually communicated that the tires are ready to load up once again.  So if the driver has the timing correctly, he can very easily choose a tighter line as the car dips, and float the car outwards over the peak, and back to the correct line… any adjustments almost not needing wheel correction, but light lift or depress of the throttle.

Entering the reducing radius was as easy and stable as choosing your preferred braking point, jabbing the big brake pedal, and letting the ABS do all the work, while you load up the front outside tire.   To initiate the roll in toward the apex, you'd just lift the brake pressure progressively as you need to adjust the line, and feed the appropriate steering inputs.   A mildly tuned AE86 was very similar to this in a sense, except without the ABS part.  But the AE86’s brakes were so poor at limits that with modern high grip tires, it was almost like having ABS as it would refuse to lock in all but the most idiotic of driver inputs.  So the feeling to a seasoned driver would be similar here.  Light weight, manageable and optimized balance for fun factor, the transfer of momentum and weights atop the 4 contact patch is easily learned in a car like this, yet to be perfect on the raceway, will require the most talented of drivers.   There are no AWD, turbocharged torque, or Active Yaw Controls to help you look good.  It’s all you man!

Paddle shifter worked precisely as needed here as well.  There was no need for dropping into the finicky 1^st gear timing that we had in the autocross.  Even the fully automatic SPORT mode, carried possibly similar lap times, as it also seemed to just ‘know’ when to be in what gear, and with where it needed to shift, not being scary one bit.  This mode does intervene if there is too much steering input (driver error) for the speed carried into a corner, and when your yaw rate is about to rock your tail loose, it will intervene with throttle control and help stabilize the car before it lets you have your horses again.  The Manual mode in the Auto Transmission does allow all the fun though; with no electronic intervention aside from rev limiter at redline.

The Standard manual transmission was next.  I went into the course with much more familiarity this time, after several laps in the AT car.  The manual transmission’s shorter 3^rd gear was noticeable as the rev limit was reached 50 feet short of where the AT shifted.  So the use of 4^th was a bit of a mismatch on this raceway, as it had to happen right at the base of the high speed hump loaded laterally.  That’s not the car’s fault, it wasn’t designed exclusively for this track.  But fears aside, as I got a bit braver to shove it out of the exit at wider line and higher rate.  The lower 4^th ratio did shine on the last bit of the straight, making me reach about 5mph higher top speed at 101mph by indicator before I had to jump on the brakes. Still not on the top of 4^th by any means, but just a tad earlier and longer in use on the fastest section. In the infield though, the manual proved to be very busy as gears were very close compared to an old car like the AE86 with only 3 usable speeds on a track like this.  Each change happened quickly, up and down and kept the driver sweating in aerobic exercise the clutch and shifter required. Don’t get me wrong though, that is what a great sports car is supposed to do.  It is supposed to be mechanically sound, and is up to the driver, once again, to be able to coax the most out of it.

Just like the AE86, no wide gapped transmission, no jetfighter afterburners, and no computer cheating.  You need to grab the clutch pedal with your toes, and operate it smoothly in and out of each gear, and do this all while the car is being loaded side to side and fore and aft, slipping and sliding, and changing vectors quickly on every move.  It is a BLAST if you can do it.  And if you can’t, then you aspire and respect the drivers who can, and the FRS will teach you step by step, possibly, over the long and satisfying ownership years.  90 points!!!!

What?

I went over 100 points total?   OK fine.  So I like it that much…

OK, as promised, the engine noises…

The flat four from Toyota/Subaru collaboration in the FRS, is named 4UGSE for those in Scion Camp, and FA20(NA) in Subaru BRZ camp.  They are identical I am told and I shall believe the man who oversaw the creation of it.  Under load, there is a faint sign that is a Subaru flat four, but the throttle response and cabin noises in regular driving, sounds far more appealing than the traditional Subaru FB or the EJ.  The mid-range noises are actually more similar to a 3T-GTE, and under mild load, sound really familiar to a 4A-Gist who remember the TVIS.  I would imagine a Subaru owner/fan will get the most surprise out of this note, as it is more different than that, and similar to an inline 4.   The intake chamber, cleverly has a resonator for the interior, and while the engine on the outside is whisper quiet when it needs to be, the cabin is still filled with music of the fine tuned responsive band.  Yes a band, because the term orchestra, is what I used for the LFA’s V10, and this sure sound like fewer members, but just as talented are each player in the engine music.

I suppose I should write about the trim and interior, exterior styling, or little bits and pieces, if this was any other car, but you know, this is not.  The FRS is a driver’s car, and as such, all the other elements just become a matter of preference to people.  If the looks or the numbers are so important that it makes you decide not to buy the siblings in the form of a FRS or BRZ, I have no words for you.   Except that you are missing out on the best sports car platform offered for sale, new, in 2012, specifically for the driving pleasure.  And if you choose otherwise, then you must be less of a driving enthusiast, and more of something else.

Going back to my story of what happened in 2007, and sharing the passion of the builders through various stages of completion, Mr.Noda of Subaru, Chief Tada of Toyota, and Scion’s boss Jack Hollis, and every single person I have met in their teams over the last few years.  All I can put into words at this time is “Thank you so much, and keep the spirit alive please, so that you can keep building these cars into the future, and keep revising them for the better one thing at a time.”

My FRS will be Pearl White, automatic paddle equipped.  Why automatic?
I chose this because I wanted to teach my kids, how fun it will be to learn to drive on the raceway with shortest learning curve, and when they are ready, I will buy another, with a manual to teach them further, and build a much more customized one at that.
This, because to me I think, this car will stay with me for the next 25 years, just as the AE86 had from the day it came out, the day I bought one several years later, and the two decades I have enjoyed it.

Does it deserve the "Hachiroku" name?

YES, I think so.

Because I can refer to either AE86 or the FT86, in the same old phrase ---

"You don't know how to drive, till you master the Hachiroku... "

Moto Miwa,

Club4AG.com

4/25/2012.

Photo contributions, Go Taira, Photographer, and Toyota Motor Corporation.

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