A New Number One?

For years I have ranked the C2 Corvette convertible restomod and the DeTomaso Longchamp at the top of my automotive pyramid. Seeing the drop-dead gorgeous 1961 Ferrari 250GT Pininfarina coupe in August of 2021 at the Mecum auction in Monterey, California made me re-think my hierarchy.

However, the car to which I refer in today’s post title is none of those three. Instead, it is this one:

This is the Lexus LFA. This particular one is being offered on Bring a Trailer as a premium lot with a current high bid of $750,000. This example stickered for $390,000 when new, but I have seen these cars listed at seven-figure prices. Remember that only 500 were built.

That amazing exterior color is called Sunset Orange. I think the side profile is perfect. The “wave” air intakes give the car a flare and they are functional as well.

The LFA will also run like hell. Powered by a 4.8 liter/293 cubic-inch V-10 that produces 553 HP/354 LB-FT of torque (90% of which is available by 3,700 RPM) and will rev from 0 to 9,000 RPM in less than one second, the car can accelerate from 0-60 MPH in 3.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 202 MPH. It will also pull 1.07g on a skidpad so it will corner.

Of course, this is a car I will only be able to buy if we win a large lottery jackpot. Once again from Diner, if you don’t have dreams you have nightmares.

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Speaking of dreams, I had another one in which Frank Robinson appeared. Sadly, he died in February of 2019. This is not the first dream of mine in which he has appeared since his death.

As I have recounted before, he was my favorite Oriole player when I was growing up in Baltimore and the fact that we wound up working together and developing a real friendship was one of those extremely rare cases where life exceeds dreams. I have to tell this story one more time.

One time when we were still at Memorial Stadium, I walked by Frank’s office and stuck my head in to say hello. I noticed a baseball cap on his desk with a “CR” logo on it. I asked Frank, “Cedar Rapids?” He said, “Colorado Rockies.” I asked him if he was going somewhere and he answered, “No, but if I do I’m taking you with me.” You cannot imagine how that made me feel.

#ANewNumberOne?

#LexusLFA

#FrankRobinson

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Last Sunday

Before I even write this post today and before this WordPress week ends at the close of this Sunday, Disaffected Musings has had more blog views and unique visitors this week than in any other week in its history. This month, which is not yet over, has had more unique visitors than any other month. (Thanks.)

Of course, many of the views/visitors came from people trying to find out why Cristy Lee was not on the Barrett-Jackson telecast that ended yesterday. I am a little surprised that so many of her “fans” didn’t realize that the Barrett-Jackson auctions were no longer televised on Motor Trend and that contractual arrangements probably prevented her from continuing, assuming that she even wanted to.

However, more views were of the main page of this blog than of Where Is Cristy Lee? so it’s possible other events also drove blog traffic. For more than a week before the Barrett-Jackson broadcast began, the number of views referred from search engines had increased dramatically. Maybe the news that Belly Biane (intentional misspelling) is probably leaving the Oakland A’s and baseball led people to search for “Moneyball Pioneer” and that led them to find this blog.

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This is the last Sunday my wonderful wife and I will be living in this great house. In addition, this is the last Sunday I will post for awhile. I cannot say with certainty exactly how long.

My strong belief that nothing in life is all good or all bad, that everything is a trade-off is being reinforced by this move. I was very sad after leaving Wegmans for the last time. I have made a point to walk around the house and to take photos, some of which I will show on the blog after the move. I am not happy about many aspects of this change, such as leaving our wonderful neighbors. However, my wonderful wife graciously agreed to two major moves at my request so I cannot deny her wish to move to the desert.

I am hoping that a new venue is a fresh start for my life, which in many ways has become a rut. I hope that “post-virus” we will both find new friends at the numerous car events held in the desert, which has a car culture far beyond that of the mid-Atlantic.

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I was originally going to title today’s post “Lexus A or Lexus B.” I can still proceed with that idea, though.

At the recently concluded Barrett-Jackson auction, one of these was offered and sold for $440,000 all in.

This picture is of the actual auction car and is, obviously, from Barrett-Jackson’s website. Oh, this is the amazing Lexus LFA. Jeremy Clarkson, famous co-host of Top Gear and The Grand Tour, said this is the best car he’s ever driven, or at least that’s what he said after he drove one for the first time.

The LFA had to be fitted with a digital tachometer because no analog tach could keep up with its amazing ability to rev. The LFA can rev from 0 to 9000 RPM in less than one second!

The LFA’s naturally aspirated 4.8 liter/293 cubic inch V-10 engine produces 553 HP/354 LB-FT of torque. In that way, it’s like a traditional Italian “supercar” engine in that the emphasis is on high RPM horsepower and not low-end torque. (Yes, I know the Lexus is Japanese in origin, not Italian.)

OK, the LFA is Lexus A; you can probably guess the identity of Lexus B.

See the source image

From carmagazine.co.uk a picture of a Lexus LC (500). The LC is more of a GT car than the LFA, which is more of a “pure” sports car.

At present, the LC is powered by a 5 liter/303 cubic inch V-8 with output of 471 HP/398 LB-FT of torque in its non-hybrid version. A twin-turbo V-8 of smaller displacement but more power has been rumored to be in development for this car, but those rumors have faded recently.

OK, which of these cars do you prefer? Neither is inexpensive although the LFA is in another league in terms of rarity and price than the LC. Which do I prefer? Believe me, if I could afford it I would have both. I think the LFA is a marvel of automotive engineering and it’s far from ugly. The LC is one of the most handsome cars I have ever seen. Remember that it has been named to both editions of my Ultimate Garage.

I look forward to reading your thoughts.

#LastSunday

#CristyLee

#Barrett-Jackson

#LexusLFA

#LexusLC

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Wednesday Addendum

Maybe for me the word should be spelled “Addendumb.”

I was remiss in not thanking 56packardman once again for his posting a link on the Studebaker and Packard forums to yesterday’s Disaffected Musings “statement” and to the readers on those forums for clicking on the links to drive the number of yesterday’s views to even more than those of the day before. Every now and then I receive glimpses of the potential of the Internet and of this blog.

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In my opinion life is way too short not to speak your mind, at least most of the time. The only constraint is that one need not be crass and vulgar. One shouldn’t go out of their way to offend someone, but one shouldn’t live in constant fear of doing so. Sometimes, offending someone is the only way to get their attention.

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Tired of the pre-war cars? OK…

See the source image

From Wikipedia a picture of the ferocious and beautiful Lexus LFA. Yesterday, a friend of mine and I took a trip to another state (thanks, C/2) to see and to test drive a car that another friend of mine in a state far, far away has interest in purchasing. This friend is just not comfortable in the modern idiom of buying a car totally sight unseen.

So, what does that have to with the LFA? The car, not a Lexus, was/is being offered at a Lexus dealer. When I saw the Lexus LCs on the lot that got me thinking about the LFA.

Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear and The Grand Tour fame called the LFA the best car he’s ever driven, even with the small gas tank and no cup holders. Lexus made just 500 of these cars from December, 2010 through December, 2012. From the public comments of some high-ranking Lexus executives, it doesn’t appear likely that Lexus will be making cars like these anytime soon, which is a shame.

The LFA was powered by a 4.8 liter V-10 engine producing 552 HP/354 LB-FT (?) of torque. Oh, it had an automatic transmission that could be paddle-shifted manually. The engine could rev to 9,000 RPM in less than one second so it had to be fitted with a digital tachometer as no analog tach could keep up. From Wikipedia,

“The Lexus LFA’s frame is made from an in-house designed and manufactured carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) centre monocoque with aluminium front and rear subframes. The subframes, which can be removed and replaced minimising potential repair costs, are joined to the monocoque using a newly developed aluminium flanged collar designed to create a stronger joint. According to the manufacturer, the quality of the CFRP material matches that of aeronautical grades and is woven by a laser monitored circular loom, one of only two in the world. Overall 65% of the vehicle’s total body mass is CFRP material while the remaining 35% is aluminium.”

People who look down on hypercars and supercars with disdain (I call them self-righteous and ignorant snobs, just speaking my mind) don’t understand that, very often, the technology used to manufacture these cars and that is used in these cars finds its way into “regular” cars. It’s amazing and annoying how often people speak without command of facts.

#Speakyourmindbutpolitely

#LexusLFA

#JeremyClarkson

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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