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 post Grand Prix of Long Beach, IMSA 2017 - Lexus RCF-GT3 appeared first on Club4AG.

Meet the 2016 Lexus GS-F.
If you know what an "E-ticket" means, you're ready for the perfectly sensible road rocket.
If not, you're probably too young and shallow to even begin to comprehend it... 

Lexus has been ultra-busy producing a huge line-up of new cars practically replacing the entire fleet over the last couple of years, starting with an all new NX, refreshing the IS, GS, and ES, then launching with huge fanfare, the RC coupe and using the attention to slip the all new RX and some revamping of the LX F-Sport package.

For the enthusiasts of driving emotions, however, the attention must go to the RC-F and this brand new sibling, the GS-F. Both cars have been a topic of controversy among the general buyers in the market for such disproportionately powered monster super-sedans, touting it as bloated or geeky in shapes. I, however, feel that beyond the marketing taglines, and fan-based gossiping, that the RC-F and GS-F are two of the most boldly planned cars that traditionally conservative Lexus brand has ever carried to date. The IS-F which the concept lends back to, launched in 2008, was the first iteration of the monster super-sedan. The IS has almost been a backbone for constant evaluation of both mechanical design and testing the market waters for such cars.

Despite the astronomical costs of launching a new car on a unique non-shared platform, with it's own engine variation is not something even Toyota can laugh about. Today's regulatory commissions of first world nation comes with extreme overhead costs of meeting these rules, from EPA to DOT, to reports of independent studies, and the list goes on and on, and by the time these are all checked and met, the company would have invested in excess of $50~100 million for each platform.

The GS-F is such a car. It's exclusive to a thousand and few hundred owners globally, and are hand-assembled like the RC-F, to each order by the dealers or customers. Like the RC-F and the IS-F before it, it boasts a v8 engine converted with high strung cams, and programmed to respond. So much so, that the cars are also equipped with equipment to keep monsters at bay so that the spouses and kids can drive it to the mall in rain without the risk of self-propelling the car into a ditch.
The monsters I state here is in the order magnitude of say, nearly three times the power of a Camry, and if you look back at history, more power than a Ferrari Testarossa had in Miami Vice chase scene.  Unlike the RC-F's personal size styling and use features, the GS-F does have a proper 5 passenger seat configuration and rear doors that truly make it a "E-Ticket" ride for 4 eager passengers. (Yes I said E-Ticket, and that's how old you'd be to understand this car. )

Despite this, the public cries it loses in numerical power spec to the Mercedes Benz AMG. Everything is about numbers I suppose but as for me, I rather feel that having already this much power, and curtailing it just enough to have the fuel use figure that slips by a hair under the "Gas Guzzler Tax" in the USA seems, well, sensible. Yeah, this RC-F and GS-F does pass under that silly Uncle Sam invoice, so that you're not paying that extra several thousand bucks in registration and ownership. That sensible side of Lexus is what erks most passionate folks, I suppose. But you know, I think that's a choice really, and if one wants to be passionate and financially responsible (given you're already nuts for choosing these F cars), so be it, and Lexus F cars here are the clear choice.

Bulky and heavy? Sure, but even the 400lbs lighter super-sedans from competition is still heavy compared to a true sports car like the Lotus Evora by a few hundred slices of the best prime rib. I don't really see it as a car you'd buy based on raceway agility in other words, if you really do know how to drive sports cars. That goes for the entire category of these big-power land missiles. You shoot down the interstate in these, and carve passes with glorious noises of the wide-overlap V8, not dice with Fiat 500 Abarth and Miata on Sunday tracks.

Just reserve one, and buy it, if you can afford it. It is the most exciting Lexus you can buy, and it isn't the F-Sport that slips under the radar at family gatherings, these RC-F and GS-F do make a loud presence in your instagram feed. Don't worry about it.

It is a PROPER SUPER-SEDAN.

The post Meet the 2016 Lexus GS-F. If you know what an "E-ticket" means, you're ready for the perfectly sensible road rocket. appeared first on Club4AG.

Magic of Erin Park Lexus F-Sport Meet.
Going beyond social at F-Sport Sunday

What was initially a small get together planned by the core staff of enthusiastic folks at Erin Park Lexus of Greater Toronto area in Canada, became the mecca this June for all the friends of F-Sport program in North America. With folks from Vossen, VIP Auto Salon, Kaizen Factor, Beat-Sonic, Winmax USA, and RS-R USA, all just joining in to pump up the energy for the roots of Lexus fanaticism.

The event was so abundant of the spirit of F-Sport, that even the gods of nature sent in the fury of thunder showers just for the weekend. While completely unexpected, the gathering of Lexus and Toyota fans didn't reduce in number one bit. Embracing the wet, we had a ton of fun making use of the LFA, the new RC and RCF we had on hand as well as Vinh Pham's notorious orange racing IS300. Streaking rooster-tail of water and slipping through the water-coated racetrack in the spirit like the best of touring car racing. Even the RX350 AWD we had as shuttles became the star of the show by boating the Lexus-nuts through 30cm deep water pools that formed in the parking lot.

Mike Forsythe, Ben Chong, Clark Ishihara, joined the elite staff of Eric Park Lexus Norman Karkada, and PJ Caletti in this event, and while normally these folks are industry-critical trend-setters in offices, today was a day they magically turned back into 9 year old boys, splashing puddles without a care in the world.

I had my fair day scuttling RX350's in deepest waters, and putting APEXi and RSR's newest tuning equipment for the RC-F to the test of dynamic driving, and REALLY grasping the inner awesomeness of today's Lexus driver assist devices. Even with the RCF's safety programs all clicked off, the basic foundation of hardware made it a pleasure to dance with in the wet track too. Sure it's tricky with tons of power, but still predictable enough to teach it to Waltz and Salsa.

About 60 cars gathered from all up and down Eastern Canada for this, and shared stories, and shook hands with friends they've all known through social media for the first time too. Raffle prizes given away to them were no short of $10,000 in the form of wheels, parts, accessories and apparel. The level of core-sponsor participation was incredible fan-event in a city that normally isn't considered mecca of any automobile cults.

I think the event was a true test. A test that proved Erin Park Staff of the capability in how passionate they can be for a marque that is Lexus. And while the event was small in the grand scale of corporate that define Lexus, the enthusiasm level went deeper, wider, and more grounded than many of the larger corporate planning events.

If you are a Lexus / Toyota automobile fan, you MUST go to this event next time...

Here's some unofficial photos I snapped, and there's ton more to come from the professional light magicians that were present at the event like Ryan GB of Kaizen Factor and Ste Ho.

With Ste Ho, Mike Forsythe, VIP Auto Salon, Inc., Vossen Wheels, Erin Park Lexus, Norman Karkada, RS-R USA, Beat-Sonic, Club4AG, Erin Park Toyota, Erin Park Scion, PJ Caletti, Kaizen F, Ryan GB

Erin Park Lexus Showroom. Outstanding in commitment, service, care and most of all, something missing from many dealers often, is the enthusiasm as autombile fanatics.
They don't sell just cars, they know it's a dream,and passion for many of their customers.

The post Magic of Erin Park Lexus F-Sport Meet. Going beyond social at F-Sport Sunday in Toronto, Canada 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.

2015 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, INDYCAR SET

The main feature of the week-long motorsports festival, the Indycar racing, the fastest open wheel motorsports in America. This year was no exception, as the race exploded into action half way with a triple car battle for the 3rd spot. Also pacing this year's race was the first ever Lexus RC-F dressed in formal black and white livery.

Walking toward the event, I was blessed with a last-minute invitation to the Toyota Suite. I can't thank enough for the people that remember me this way. I really don't singly deserve to be treated so well, as everything I do is with passionate efforts of all my friends and fellow enthusiasts. I tried my best to capture these photos so some of you might enjoy it.

The post 2015 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, INDYCAR SET appeared first on Club4AG.

The Pro/Celebrity Race which happen every year is a charity race sub-content of the 36 year history of Long Beach Grand Prix.  That's every April when the City of Long Beach becomes a huge raceway for automobile enthusiasts of Southern California to host a bunch of big-time racing that climax with the INDYCAR series, and formerly CART, IRL, and even Formula One at one point in history.
The cars specified for the one-make, 10 lap race between American Celebrities versus the Professionals will be the brand new TRD USA-built Scion FRS this year.
We had a chance to preview these cars in it completed specifications, and sample them all on the very technical venue of Streets of Willow Springs Raceway on March 4th, and all I can say is it was both educational and entertaining. Here is short write-up of what I’ve encountered, and we thank all of the staff from Toyota Motorsports Division, and Scion Public Relations team for the kind invitation.

Before we get into the grit of performance and the usual driving impressions, let me inform you on the purpose of the Pro/Celebrity FRS and what it is meant to do as a specialty venue race car.

The race is all about having a group of enthusiastic celebrities from all walks of entertainment industry, trained for a full month by Fast Lane driving School, to compete in a one-make race with handicapped start and a chase by professional drivers from USA’s Professional motorsports industry. It is a short 10 lap race but surrounded by concrete walled and very grueling and unforgiving raceway that is shared with INDYCARS and other pro races that happen on the same week.

Needless to say, these are very special circumstances, and require a very dedicated type of cars which are both forgiving enough for the non-professional driving celebrities, but tactile enough for any professional drivers to be comfortable at full speed. Also, since this is a DRIVER challenge for evenly matched and specified cars, the cars need to be pretty exact in performance and free from variances and character differences so that the drivers can truly compare the skills. Also unique to these cars is the lack of modifications that are typical in a full on race cars for absolute quest for speed. The cars are rather more tuned to be easy to drive, and safe for all of the enthusiasts that get behind a wheel in such unforgiving raceway.

So having said this here are some major modifications done from a stock showroom car:

In the area of absolute safety, a regulations specific roll cage is fitted to each car. However unlike a typical race car, these cars are void of bracing and cages fore and aft of the passenger cabin so as to retain the excellent crumple zone built into the FRS by design in a production car. This makes absolute sense since these cars are evenly built, so there is no point in pursuing the super-strong chassis like those of a race car to permit another 2mph average speed, at the expense of 2 more broken bones in a crash right?
Each of the Pro/Celebrity Race cars are also equipped with a on-board total fire extinguishing system, a 5 point safety harness by Simpson, as well as traditional window nets like on a NASCAR style closed body American racing series. The excellent driver’s seat from the stock FRS is retained here, as well as most of the interior panels. There are specifically made driver knee-pads to the left and right of the driver’s foot wells, keep the drivers comfortable during high-G maneuvers. And, needless to say, the folks at Toyota Motorsports USA, who hand-assembled these cars, did a superb job on making every custom detail look Toyota-quality, right down to the plastic panels and fabricated headliners that cover the upper half of the roll-cage. A level of care that makes any fabricator and custom car folks drool, and makes the cars look that much more inviting to sit and spend time inside.

As for the performance side, reliability is the top priority, while handling improvements as a race car is something really catered to the series of being very even, and relatively docile while not sacrificing the excitement and speed, as well as driver tactility, and feel.

Performance modifications:

The engine is a stock FA20 as installed in every production FRS. There may be some cleaning and assembly process to assure each engine behaves close to each other, as well as for double-checking the parts to be used, but no internal modifications were introduced to the engine itself. The power rating, according to the catalog spec of these race cars are published as 210hp @7000 rpm, with Redline Oil in 0W-20 grade, and TRD USA custom fitted intake chamber, filter, and what seems like a TRD Japan exhaust system with emissions equipment removed for additional cooling and reliability.

Centerforce custom spec clutch disk system was installed to keep the 10 laps consistent among varying drivers, and Bridgestone RE11 225/40-18 was specified for the one make spec.
Toyota Motorsports and TRD USA collaborated with Eibach suspension systems in creating a specific custom spring and shock set, which look really expensive…combined with the TRD-specified anti-roll bar (sway bars).
On the end links for each of the stabilizers were very nicely made high-grade end links from Hotchkis Suspension.   And Stop-Tech was called in to create the TRD specific FRS calibrated front brake calipers as well as floating disk rotor. It is still unknown which if any of these parts will be available to the general public and I shall find out later in the year, but the next section will describe how these components all came together to pin-point focus all of these cars to this specific task, and how it all felt to the driver.

Driving Impression:

I need to warn you that this was a sampling day and not a race day, which I had the opportunity to drive. These are precious cars Scion and Toyota Motorsports need in a very important role in just 30 days time, so I really didn’t opt to flog them to the maximum risk conditions or speed. However, because the venue at Streets of Willow Springs is very technical raceway, with lots of connecting corners and decent straights, I think I got enough of the exercises done to report on how these cars behave with my humble skills, and with every single body sensors tuned to take in the experience, assisted by two cans of RED BULL prior to getting in the cars.

The exhaust note is crisp, and crackles with vibrant high notes which is amazing when one considers the origin of the engine to be a Subaru flat four 2 liter. Like the production counterpart, the engine revs smoothly up to redline at 7400 and stays fairly even on torque in the upper half of the range. Nice and ideal, I’d say, for a nice one-make race car. It makes every mistake easy to correct, and occasionally choosing to be in taller or shorter gear won’t rob the driver too much pace.
One thing to note on these car,  it is electronically programmed to cancel all electronic driver assist at engine start, so the cars are as pure as they can be for the driver, and only thing that stays on seems to be the ABS system (which is always a plus, on a concrete walled raceway!!).
There is an option to turn VSC and TRC systems back on, if one chooses, and it was probably left in for those occasions where a journalist or other guests can easily drive it without risk in roles outside of the Pro/Celebrity Race.
Once under way, the specified Bridgestone RE11’s heat up quickly, and within half a lap, they seemed to hit just the right temperatures and stayed pretty nice and predictable throughout the 5 lap sampling sessions. These are not the typical gummy, tacky, full-on race slicks as one may expect, but are what I would call a Sunday Racer level tires, which are designed to be very durable for the race track use, and have far more grip than normal street tires, but also behave in a more forgiving manner in a less peaky way. The RE11 caters to lots of extended fun track sessions and making the car dance at pace all day.

Certainly a full race spec tire may turn in faster laps, but again, ease of operation and less variables the better when we are simply racing with driver skills as the only factor to winning. So these tires are probably the right choice to keep the audience entertained as well.

They exhibit lots more screeching sounds when slid over the grip capability, noticeable to both drivers and fans just on the other side of the fence, than on full race tires. And grip-abundant and predictable enough to every driver to keep the cars from smashing into walls.
I thought it was the perfect choice anyway. It’s basically, a lot of fun this way. And yes, they have FAR more grip than the stock FRS tires.

The cockpit is as familiar as any stock FRS, and the excellent transmission shifting mechanism is retained on these cars. The shifts occur fast and easy and clutch systems are fairly straightforward to any mundane manual seasoned driver. The 5 point harness, which I would recommend to any track driver, not only keeps the driver safe, but also greatly helps in cars like these which can pull a lot of lateral and longitudinal G’s, by keeping his butt in place to feel the car, and to keep arms and legs concentrated on the task at hand than simply holding on. The nicely fitted knee-pads also come in handy for taller drivers who has lots of leg-travel in the cockpit, to keep his/her knees in place.

Steering into each corner and through series of connected corners, the car feels very tenacious at turn-in, responding with eagerness to rotate the car. But unlike some cars that typically become very tail-happy with such settings, the TRD-Eibach suspension system on this car, hunkers down, and keeps all the contact patch stuck to the pavement. It is one of the best combinations of grip and handling balance that I have ever felt on a tuned street car. With increase in steering input, and corrections in mid-corner, controls become really forgiving and positive in feel.

Any well-developed driver can put the car right on the intended line and trace it all day with this car. With a bit of a forced entry or late braking, the RE11’s will slowly warn the driver, and break away progressively, while maintaining great composure, and lets drivers think about how and when he can return the car back online. This freedom and confident attribute is very important in a car which race against each other, and when multiple cars dive and dice on a narrow track like at Long Beach. Drivers can negotiate an off-line corner with another car alongside without fear of losing the car into the walls. FRS has all the body structure and dynamic balance to offer, and with Toyota Motorsports’ expert tuning, all of the fun factor, spelled ‘confident balance’ is retained and extended to a higher cornering speed. Simply amazing in terms of overall chassis development and tune, especially in focus to what they are designed to cater in the Pro/Celebrity Race.

With one look at the car, one may notice a pair of huge red-colored 4 pot caliper with TRD logo on the front hub, and the seeming unbalance with stock rear calipers which seem rather small in visual comparison. But these thoughts just fly out the window when you punch the brakes, then in successive lap after lap on the Pro/Celebrity Scion FRS. The typical mismatch and ill-character that’s usually associated with using haphazard brake caliper selection on a stock fluid balancer and master cylinder like this, is completely non-existent. The cars slow down fast and steady, lap after lap, corner after corner, with complete and neatly proportioned way, and brakes are really close in feel to stock, but with heat related changes curtailed to nothing more than warming the pads for a corner or two at start. It's just what the car needs, to match the huge increase in grip afforded by the excellent RE11 tires.

With all the handing and braking prowess, the relatively stock FRS engine seems a bit unexciting on the main straights of course. However, this is something very negligible to the driver once they clip the first apex of a corner, as the car retains so much momentum and inertia, that the driver shall be very preoccupied with keeping the cornering G’s high, and screaming out of each corner at speeds akin to race cars than production based car. Not to mention the sheer width of his smile being wider than the track width at Long Beach! What is commendable about this engine is the absolutely flat and easy torque and power output, which is such a joy to modulate while the car is on the edge. Throttle translates so well to vector changes and steering inputs extremely well. For those of you that are familiar with rear wheel drive sports cars, you will immediately know that this is the ideal form of something light and scratching the road with the back tires, that can both propel the car, as well as steer the car at will.

All said and done, the day ended way too short of what I wanted to spend, and this was with a FULL day on the race way with just 14 drivers invited! I just could not get enough of these Pro/Celebrity Race cars despite the 4 sessions I had, and I would easily say that this is the best Pro/Celebrity race car ever for the series.
I say this because unlike the heavy and flex-frame Celica in the old days, or the tricky and demanding nature of front driven Celica and recent Scion tC, this FRS leaves so much options for the drivers to change his style, speed, pace, lines and whatever we do on the raceway, that much more of the driver’s individual style, driving prowess, and character will probably be apparent in the 2013 race, and therefore making us, the spectators that much more entertained and focused on the race.

You know, I might just have changed my mind about the favorite Toyota car I would want to take to the track… Yes, I think I prefer this Pro/Celebrity spec, Scion FRS to the mighty Lexus LFA…
It’s that good!

PS. I had the opportunity to take our favorite in-house photographer for Club4AG, Danny and Geoff of JDMZIPTIES, and they have photographed the event nicely, moment by moment. We thank them as well as everyone at Toyota Motor Sales USA, various service and Public Relations entities, and partners, for making the event a really comfortable experience. The FRS Pro/Celebrity replica Radio Controlled cars were a nice touch by HPI and Scion PR! And TRD USA display and OEM AUDIO+ on site kept us talking for hours as we took turns at the very special automobiles from Scion.

More about the 2013 Pro/Celebrity Race:
Driver Roster Official Release - http://club4ag.com/driving-the-2013-scion-frs-long-beach-grand-prix-procelebrity-race-cars/

More photos here at JDMZIPTIES webpage!  http://jdmzipties.com/2013/03/06/toyota-pro-celebrity-race-scion-fr-s-media-day-streets-of-willow-highlight-photos/

The post Driving the 2013 Scion FRS – Long Beach Grand Prix Pro/Celebrity Race Cars appeared first on Club4AG.

Lexus RCF, TVD - Torque Vectoring Differential Gear

A look at the Lexus RC-F's optional TVD System, which might be the most revolutionary equipment to be installed on a production car, taking wisdom of F1, and modern WRC tech.

The first production car differential pretty much, outside of some exotics, which limits the wheel slip by accelerating the outside wheel, rather than "limiting" the inside, and also seamlessly integrates electronically with the VSC and TRC system without depending on the braking systems so much.

The difference of the wheels therefore, is managed by pushing the wheel that needs more speed, rather than reducing the speed to the wheels that should not, making use of more energy, and losing less momentum by frictional devices. The inner spline works with the traditional clutch pack, managed by an actuator, and the outer spline is hooked to a separate planetary gear system that can accelerate the shaft speed by as much as 4~5%...

The entire device is rather new to production cars and while the initial prices for the option is very expensive, it may well be the start and to adapt on to other performance cars in the future to drive costs down.   The amazing unit is electronically controlled and since it is all driven with actuators and cogs, clutch packs and planetary gears, the future application is not only in racing but just about any form of traction control applications!

Amazing device, if you are a racing engineer.

The post Lexus RCF, TVD - Torque Vectoring Differential Gear System, a revolution in sports car drivetrain. appeared first on Club4AG.

https://www.facebook.com/Moto.Club4AG/posts/10203404243283067

The post A couple of quotes from Akio Toyoda, the president of Toyota in a Japanese interview... appeared first on Club4AG.

Lexus has just announced that an array of Lexus RCs that will make its debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show starting March 4. The V8 powerhouse RC F which recently debuted in Detroit will make a trip across the pond for its first European visit. An F SPORT version of the RC which appears to have surfaced yesterday in Southern California will make its official debut to the world.

There will also be a Lexus RC F GT3 Concept which will be unveiled for the very first time. Just last month, TMC revealed their intention to compete in more motorsports activities in 2014. The RC F GT500 replaces the outgoing SC 430 for the upcoming 2014 Super GT season. A great sign of things to come as TMC expressed their push for motorsports in the coming year. It looks like Lexus Racing is off in the right direction with the new Lexus RC coupé.

Press Release:

LEXUS AT THE 2014 GENEVA MOTOR SHOW
• EUROPEAN PREMIERE OF THE RC F – THE MOST POWERFUL V8 PERFORMANCE CAR YET DEVELOPED BY LEXUS
• FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE NEW RC COUPE IN A F SPORT VERSION FEATURING EXCLUSIVE DESIGN FEATURES AND DYNAMIC UPGRADES
• WORLD PREMIERE OF THE LEXUS RC F GT3 CONCEPT TO SIGNAL LEXUS’ INTENTION TO ENTER GT3 SPORTS CAR RACING ARENAS
Brussels, Belgium -

The new Lexus RC coupe and the high-performance RC F will make their European debuts at the 2014 Geneva motor show, which will also mark the World premiere of the F SPORT version of RC and the RC F GT3 racing concept.
RC F – European Premiere
On sale throughout Europe this autumn, the high-performance RC F features a new 5.0-litre engine developing well in excess of 450 DIN hp and more than 520 Nm of torque, making it the most powerful V8 performance car yet developed by Lexus.
Harnessing this power with optimum efficiency, the RC F combines a newly calibrated eight-speed transmission with the world’s first installation of a Torque Vectoring Differential (TVD) in a front-engined rear-drive sports coupe, enhancing traction and control to guarantee extraordinary levels of handling and performance.
For the first time in a Lexus, the RC F uses the Atkinson cycle at cruising speeds for enhanced fuel economy, and then switches to the Otto cycle at higher revolutions to realise outstanding performance.
RC in F SPORT version
Based on the striking Lexus RC coupe, the F SPORT model features exclusive, even more sporting and aggressive exterior and interior design features, and enhanced driving dynamics.
The new RC model range also features the latest Lexus advanced technology developments, including a new, touch-operated Remote Touch Interface (RTI).
RC F GT3
The new RC F GT3 concept signals Lexus’ intent to provide a vehicle for racing teams in GT3 series.
Other vehicles on display
A selection of other Lexus F SPORT models will also be on display including the RX 450h F SPORT, the CT 200h F SPORT and the IS 300h F SPORT. Furthermore the Luxury versions of the CT 200h and the GS 300h will be presented.
The Lexus Press Conference will take place on March 4, at 8:45AM in Hall 4, stand number 4211.

Source: Lexus Europe / Kaizen Factor - Flipside 909

Also we find this photo in the public shares of some internal folks!!

The post We find that the Lexus RC-F is on the way to Geneva, along with other RC models including the F-Sport Package... appeared first on Club4AG.