EVO: Ferrari 599 GTO vs Lexus LFA

Soup · Aug 11, 2011

Ferrari 599 GTO v Lexus LFA video
New Ferrari 599 GTO v Lexus LFA video review and picture gallery | evo

Ferrari 599 GTO or Lexus LFA, V12 v V10: which screaming hypercar would you have? Let this video battle help you decide...

It's the battle of 2011's ultimate hypercars. The high-revving, sonorously-soundtracked V10 Lexus LFA and V12 Ferrari 599 GTO battle it out in the epic Scottish Highlands and on track. Which do you think sounds the best? Full story in evo issue 161, on sale Weds September 17.

330CIZHP · Aug 11, 2011

Wow! Two of my most favorite cars. Looking forward to reading it. It will be very interesting.

That surface looks bumpy and the tach needle is trembling quite badly. The extremely lightweight LFA flywheel seemed to be struggling to keep the jolts from killing forward momentum.

Nevertheless, Lexus should feel honored for even having their first supercar ever to be compared to the halo Ferrari 599 GTO.

martinbo · Aug 11, 2011

One of the rare occasions that I'll pass on the LFA. GTO is just on another level.

Sunny · Aug 11, 2011

^Yup, same, but the really cruel thing is if you can afford one, you can afford both. sigh!

330CIZHP · Aug 11, 2011

Does Evo always conduct its test with a passenger in the passenger seat?? Both times are 0.5 seconds off their official times.

Mr Robert · Aug 12, 2011

GTO. The LFA might be a great car, but it is a few notches below the Ferrari.

Sunny said:
^Yup, same, but the really cruel thing is if you can afford one, you can afford both. sigh!

If I'm not mistaken, one can buy neither

330CIZHP said:
Nevertheless, Lexus should feel honored for even having their first supercar ever to be compared to the halo Ferrari 599 GTO.

Certainly not the first for Toyota.

Sunny · Aug 12, 2011

330CIZHP said:
Does Evo always conduct its test with a passenger in the passenger seat??

I know they do the lap times with a passenger.

hoffmeister_fan · Aug 12, 2011

I'm with you guys, I really don't know which one I'd go with. They both scream sinister brutality to me. Emphasis on "scream"

DeDe · Aug 12, 2011

The LFA's launching procedure takes HOURS! I think I would pass the quarter mile line with our C200 when the Lexus would finally start to accelerate...

330CIZHP · Aug 12, 2011

dr Dunkel said:
GTO. The LFA might be a great car, but it is a few notches below the Ferrari.

We will find out when we read it. I wish Chris Harris was also in the loop. I certainly feel the much more hardcore Nurburgring edition LFA is a good match in terms of track abilities.

I am sure if Lexus had made the Nurburgring prototype available to EVO, they would have pit the Nurburgring edition instead, but Lexus is keeping it under the covers while going through final testing till the end of the year when it will go into production.

Certainly not the first for Toyota.

My mistake. 2000 GT being the first one.

Guibo · Aug 12, 2011

330CIZHP said:
Does Evo always conduct its test with a passenger in the passenger seat?? Both times are 0.5 seconds off their official times.

Yes, they do. Here's their comment about R&T's Veyron test:
"Their run at the Lemoore naval base in California was without a passenger, but we’ve always recorded our times two-up..."
9ff GT9 | Features | evo

In Autocar's Z06 vs GT2 test at Bruntingthorpe, Chris Harris mentions that the first part of the runway has an uphill incline. Surface isn't great either, so front-engined cars with traction issues are hampered here. Some LC systems will require a few runs for the system to "learn" the surface but in any case the GTO is faster as expected.

I'd have a tough time choosing between the two. The 599 with even the normal V12 is already epic and the GTO must surely be borderline insane by comparison. Without an electric steering setup like the LFA's, it will probably feel more organic. I might give it to the Lexus for its interior styling and the overall sense that it's a much more bespoke and special car.

hoffmeister_fan · Aug 12, 2011

I'm pretty confident that they use the same BBS wheels.

330CIZHP · Aug 12, 2011

So what is to blame for the relatively underwhelming times?? I guess from your post, it seems the surface condition of the runway is to reason. Maybe, they will elaborate on it in the magazine.

Guibo said:
Yes, they do. Here's their comment about R&T's Veyron test:
"Their run at the Lemoore naval base in California was without a passenger, but we’ve always recorded our times two-up..."
9ff GT9 | Features | evo

In Autocar's Z06 vs GT2 test at Bruntingthorpe, Chris Harris mentions that the first part of the runway has an uphill incline. Surface isn't great either, so front-engined cars with traction issues are hampered here. Some LC systems will require a few runs for the system to "learn" the surface but in any case the GTO is faster as expected.

I'd have a tough time choosing between the two. The 599 with even the normal V12 is already epic and the GTO must surely be borderline insane by comparison. Without an electric steering setup like the LFA's, it will probably feel more organic. I might give it to the Lexus for its interior styling and the overall sense that it's a much more bespoke and special car.

Guibo · Aug 12, 2011

330CIZHP said:
So what is to blame for the relatively underwhelming times?? I guess from your post, it seems the surface condition of the runway is to reason. Maybe, they will elaborate on it in the magazine.

It's probably a combination of all that I mentioned: surface condition, weight of the passenger, and perhaps the uphill incline. On this same runway, Autocar's Veyron Super Sport recorded 0-30 in 1.4. This is up from the 1.1-1.2s seen in US mag tests of the regular Veyron, so we'd expect the SS should be faster than that. The US mags and Autocar run 2-way averages in an effort to cancel the effects of wind. From what I've read from people who run in the VMAX events at Bruntingthorpe, calm windless days are exceedingly rare. It's possible Evo ran in one direction only.

hoffmeister_fan said:
I'm pretty confident that they use the same BBS wheels.

They are different in design. LFA's front wheel is also 0.5 inch narrower.

330CIZHP · Aug 12, 2011

Yes, that makes sense. I remember a while back reading a first test in a magazine and they ripped a 0-60 mph in the 599 GTO with launch control in only 3.0 seconds or thereabouts. That is a whopping 0.8 seconds quicker than this test.

Will they test the cars on Bedford???

Guibo said:
It's probably a combination of all that I mentioned: surface condition, weight of the passenger, and perhaps the uphill incline. On this same runway, Autocar's Veyron Super Sport recorded 0-30 in 1.4. This is up from the 1.1-1.2s seen in US mag tests of the regular Veyron, so we'd expect the SS should be faster than that. The US mags and Autocar run 2-way averages in an effort to cancel the effects of wind. From what I've read from people who run in the VMAX events at Bruntingthorpe, calm windless days are exceedingly rare. It's possible Evo ran in one direction only.

Mafalda · Aug 15, 2011

...WOW, finally the 599 GTO!

Beemer B773ER · Aug 15, 2011

That LFA sure sounds like a fantastic piece of engineering, and it really showcases what Toyota are capable of when they want to compete with the big boys. ....but, that 599 is the first Ferrari since the F40 that has really captured my attention and passion. Add to that the fact that this is the GTO version and the Lexus unfortunately would be my second choice here.

330CIZHP · Aug 15, 2011

Previously, LFA had a comparo with the 599 GTB with the HGTE track package:

Summary:

The Lexus feels more athletic than the Ferrari, and its performance is more accessible, more immediately. The engine is remarkable. Austin noted: “They figured out the engine. It’s really strong, and then you hit about 6500 rpm and your eyes get all big as the power hits another level.” The only street-car engine that matches this one for smoothness, ecstatic noise, and power delivery is the 458 Italia’s.

One of the LFA’s coolest features is the central tach that moves across the instrument binnacle. The color changes to white and the increments become bigger when the driver selects “sport.”

The steering is direct, accurate, and connected, and the whole chassis is balanced and entertaining. The LFA looks like a GT car on paper but acts more like a sports car—much like those great Ferrari two-seaters of yore. The brakes are easily modulated and powerful, but the LFA gets tossed around by road-camber changes, and it tramlines more than the Ferrari.

Away from the twisting roads of Wales, the LFA lost a few points. It rides firmly on the highway, even though it’s never uncomfortable. The engine note is intrusive while cruising at 80 mph or more. And the transmission feels like it’s a decade or so behind the times. Used manually, it’s instantaneous, superbly fast and heroic. But around town in automatic mode, you can almost hear the gears mesh and the selector forks moving them into place. In essence, it feels like the Ferrari gearbox from the 360 Modena of two generations ago

These minor quibbles aside, the LFA is an amazing car—and an amazing achievement. Out of the box, Toyota’s first supercar beats a Ferrari. Yeah, you read that correctly. If Toyota put the same soul and *passion into the rest of its cars, the company would be unbeatable.

martinbo · Aug 16, 2011

Of course the HGTE isn't a GTO. Also, the HGTE hasn't met with universal praise with most publications preferring the regular 599. The GTO on the other hand is closer to the 599XX.
I've always maintained that the Lexus is an unquestionably special car - one that I'd like to drive more than many, many established exotica - but in the presence of a GTO... well, quite frankly, Ferrari trumps Lexus.

klier · Aug 16, 2011

I spotted a GTO last sunday!

Just incredible. Over an LFA any day. But I like the LFA a lot too.

EVO: Ferrari 599 GTO vs Lexus LFA

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330CIZHP

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