Limited to 500 units, the Lexus LFA has achieved deity status in many enthusiast circles. One of its most celebrated attributes is its 4.8-liter V10, which was developed jointly with Yamaha. We’re unlikely to see another 10-cylinder-powered Lexus, and it’s been a long time since we’ve heard about the LFA’s rumored successor, but luckily there’s a video that highlights the LFA’s looks and sounds to keep us patient. Even better, the video is three hours long.
Posted on YouTube by Toyota Times, which is a multi-platform media outlet owned and operated by Toyota, the unlisted video shows a clean-looking LFA finished in Pearl Yellow. There’s not a lot of context: the coupe is parked next to an unidentified body of water and we think we’re looking at a Japanese-market model, but Toyota Times didn’t provide a video description to help us fill in the blanks. Is context really needed, though?
Here, it’s not. The video is all about the sound of the even-firing V10. Spoiler alert: it’s a loop, so you don’t need to watch the full three hours.
If you want context, an article posted on the Toyota Times website has you covered. It reveals the significant amount of effort put into fine-tuning the LFA’s exhaust note. The sound, which has been called “the roar of an angel,” was developed through a long process of trial and error. In a separate story, one of the engineers who worked on the LFA project reveals that the V10’s 72-degree bank angle was chosen specifically to achieve the desired sound. Using a 90-degree bank angle “would result in uneven explosions and therefore would not produce the ideal sound.”
Lexus hasn’t publicly announced plans to release a follow-up to the LFA, so all we have to go off of the vague reports spewing out of the rumor mill. What’s damn near certain is that the LFA’s successor, should it see the light that awaits at the end of a production line, will not use a V10 engine. Some sources claim power will come from a twin-turbocharged V8, which should sound markedly different than the naturally aspirated V10. Others speculate the model will be electric with solid-state batteries, which would probably end up sounding a little UFO-like.