The Art of the Aftermarket: Lexus F (Part 2)
Contd. from Part 1
You go to open the trunk of the car, expecting to see an engine, but you see an empty space instead. Before you can ask the salesman where the heck the engine is, you gape at the back of the car. Below the thin LED taillights,
Lexus has added vents that go almost all the way down to the bumper, which has three exhaust pipes situated triangularly in the middle. The car looks just as amazing from the back as it does from the front.
You move a step down from the pedestal to take a look at the side of the car. An amazing work of art that you just can’t appreciate enough leaves you speechless. The windows on the side seem to be cut from one piece of glass with
the small side window marred by an air duct. It may be visually interruptive but it makes the LFA look all the more amazing. The wheels perfectly compliment the rest of the body, with 20 inch BBS wheels inside of the wheel wells. The car is low to the ground
with another air duct located right in front of the rear wheel, just behind the door. The shape reminds you somewhat of the Nissan 350Z, but this supercar is on an entirely different level. The “F” on the front fender reminds you that this is not any ordinary
Lexus. It’s the Lexus F.
The salesman tells you that the car is actually a front-mid engine car, after which you go around and open the hood. A 4.8 L V10 meets your eyes.
You step back to take a look at the entire front of the car, and can’t seem to understand why the car has so many air ducts in the front. The salesman explains to you that the air dams on the side push air into the wheel wells,
to cool the brakes. The center air dam provides down force to the car, so it can stay on the ground at high speeds, while providing air to the engine from the underside. The headlights are slightly triangular and look even more nefarious when they’re on. The
car seriously looks like it’ll eat you alive.
And if you are another car that wants to race against this beast, it probably will.
You are seriously considering buying the car as your first for auto racing. The salesman tells you that you can take it for a test drive alone, but you ask him to accompany you so that you can understand the car better.
You walk out of the showroom and the salesman, let’s call him Bob, asks you to pick out which LFA you wish to drive. You scan the lot, thinking. You finally decide to test drive the high gloss black paint one with the matte black
wheels.
You and Bob both get into the car. The first word that comes into your mind when you slide into the carbon fiber reinforced racing seats is
amazing. You grip the matching carbon fiber and leather wrapped steering wheel. There is a button on the steering that you are itching to press: START. But Bob is talking about what else is inside the car, and you listen attentively.
First he points out the display behind the steering. You see no gauges and you wonder if they’re missing. Bob then tells you that it is a 7-inch LCD that displays everything from trip mileage to RPM and speed to fuel level. But
you can’t see anything. He tells you to insert the key into a slot next to the steering wheel.
Bob then says the words you have been waiting for the longest: “Press start.”
And you do.
Contd. in Part 3
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