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my 2 cents concerning sub's posts.
some have said they aren't fanboys of certain brands, well i am. i've been toyota fan for a long time and have always had a strong appreciation for their approach to sports models (when they actually make them). i love toyota sports history and i love the LFA, and i feel so incredibly privileged to have been able to see and touch one in person. i think i've been posting around here long enough for people to know that i'm not a hater or a troll. that said
i can see why some enthusiasts say the LFA is overpriced. i don't agree with them, but i can understand why they say so. because some enthusiasts use performance numbers and brand prestige as the only values that matter in price. if that's all that matters, then yes the LFA is more expensive than one or two ferraris and lambos. but if the logo and numbers were all that mattered, then every sports car made would be a european mid-engined awd turbo.
OBVIOUSLY that's NOT all that matters because some people prefer front engine cars compared to rear mid-engine. and some people prefer FR to AWD, and some prefer n/a to boost. that's because there's MORE TO PERFORMANCE THAN NUMBERS. there are certain intangibles that can't be expressed in numbers. example: someone might buy a brand new miata for more $$ than a used S2000 because that's what they like. if you go by prestige and numbers only, the S2000 would be the obvious choice. but some people prefer the intangibles of a miata, like the fact that it's easy to control at the limit. i'm not knocking the s2k, i'm an s2k owner myself and love the car to death, but i can tell you from experience the s2k is NOT easy to control at the limit. even in my later model ap2 the snap oversteer is not easy to control. if all you cared about were power to weight ratio, skidpad and slalom specs or lap times you would never know such intangibles.
what i really appreciated as an enthusiast and fan in the article matador quoted was how special they thought the LFA was, more special than a 458, which has better numbers and is less expensive. when something is that special, that means that the intangibles of the car are at an unimaginably high level. the fact that it was so fast on the top gear track despite wet conditions and an FR layout also is a good indication of this, the "hands of buddha" or whatever that the designers talked about.
the GTR gives a whole lot of performance for the price. but is it special? does it have these intangibles? i hear it's an incredible car, but one of it's criticisms is that with the AWD system and auto gear box it's so easy to drive fast that it's almost boring. i don't think i'll ever hear a driver describe the LFA as boring. is the GTR an awesome car? yes. is it in the same league as an LFA? i think the answer is a resounding no.
the LFA is obviously not worth the cost to some and priceless to others. i think the travesty is that LFA critics tend to only look at the price tag and the performance numbers. but numbers will always only tell you half the story, there is a lot more that makes a car special. after all, isn't that why we're all interested in the FT-86?
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