Japanese Cars, Australian Cars, Other Cars Cool

[quote]atypical1 wrote:

[quote]Broncoandy wrote:
Try not to die.[/quote]

As an avid motorcyclist comments like these drive me crazy. It’s not that hard to ride a fast motorcycle and just because a bike can go fast doesn’t mean that you’re going to die riding it.

james
[/quote]

Was a joke, but if you actually think that everyone is cut out to ride a 207 horse power ninja your nuts. Most people can’t even handle a fast car. lol.

Back to the important stuff:

The ferrari 458 has a power to weight ratio of just under 5 pounds per pony. A 207 horse power ninja with a 200 pound rider your looking at a hp per 3.3ish pounds. That’s fast with a capital F.

[quote]Broncoandy wrote:
Was a joke, but if you actually think that everyone is cut out to ride a 207 horse power ninja your nuts. Most people can’t even handle a fast car. lol.

Back to the important stuff:

The ferrari 458 has a power to weight ratio of just under 5 pounds per pony. A 207 horse power ninja with a 200 pound rider your looking at a hp per 3.3ish pounds. That’s fast with a capital F.[/quote]

True but it’s an exceptionally easy bike to ride because there is power everywhere. Easy peasy. I really do think that just about any rider could handle the bike.

Most bikes have power to weight ratio’s that kill cars. My bike is pushing 470lbs and has about 160hp. But a supercar would kill it because of the increased traction that car tires have. I’m limited in contact patch. But I do take on Subaru’s all the time (for some reason guys in those cars have something to prove).

Sorry to interrupt your car talk with bike talk.

I do think the golden years of Japanese cars are behind them. They seemed much cooler in the 90s than they do now. Maybe because everyone else has caught up to them.

james

[quote]atypical1 wrote:
I do think the golden years of Japanese cars are behind them. They seemed much cooler in the 90s than they do now. Maybe because everyone else has caught up to them.

james[/quote]

I agree for the most part, but they can still make good vehicles when they try. I

Love the car, but can’t help but feel that it was the most overpriced car in the last 15 years. There’s no way it should’ve cost half of that.

It has a 4.8L V10 mated to a 6 speed manual. It should have been priced in the high $180s to compete with the Audi R8 V10. *

  • That being said, it was a limited production model of 500 and they sold all of them, so what do I know…

[quote]Aggv wrote:
I agree for the most part, but they can still make good vehicles when they try. I[/quote]

That Lexus is amazing but the rest of their line up looks like crap now.

None of the Japanese seem focused on fun cars anymore. Mazda comes close but there isn’t the same variety that there used to be. Stuff like RX-7s, CR-X’s, MR2’s, 240s, etc.

I used to have one of these back in the day. Didn’t have a ton of power but it was pretty light (mine was totally base), rear wheel drive, manual, and handled really well.

Not my car but looked the same sans wheels

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/3437/2549/33591274004_original.jpg

I believe Lexus loses money on every LFA. In however many years, that will be a seriously collectable car.

I think the EVO, GTR, and STI are still going carrying the torch for the Japanese but theyre not simple cheap fun cars like they used to make.

[quote]Aggv wrote:
I believe Lexus loses money on every LFA. In however many years, that will be a seriously collectable car.

I think the EVO, GTR, and STI are still going carrying the torch for the Japanese but theyre not simple cheap fun cars like they used to make. [/quote]

Figure Audi has sold around 25,000 R8s through 2014, I can’t help but think Lexus could have sold 800 LFAs a year at half the price and made some money on the car. Obviously, I have no idea what their production costs look like and I’d imagine they’d have to eliminate some of the carbon fiber, but still.

[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
Figure Audi has sold around 25,000 R8s through 2014, I can’t help but think Lexus could have sold 800 LFAs a year at half the price and made some money on the car. Obviously, I have no idea what their production costs look like and I’d imagine they’d have to eliminate some of the carbon fiber, but still.[/quote]

That Lexus was simply an exercise for them. They can afford to lose money on each one and I really can’t imagine that their goal was anything more than proving they could do it. They have gotten a really staid image over the past few years and are trying to shed that.

james

[quote]atypical1 wrote:

True but it’s an exceptionally easy bike to ride because there is power everywhere. Easy peasy. I really do think that just about any rider could handle the bike.

Most bikes have power to weight ratio’s that kill cars. My bike is pushing 470lbs and has about 160hp. But a supercar would kill it because of the increased traction that car tires have. I’m limited in contact patch. But I do take on Subaru’s all the time (for some reason guys in those cars have something to prove).

Sorry to interrupt your car talk with bike talk.

I do think the golden years of Japanese cars are behind them. They seemed much cooler in the 90s than they do now. Maybe because everyone else has caught up to them.

james[/quote]

Bike talk is good talk man. Almost spring. Feelin the itch hard. Only sport bike I ever rode was a hayabusa. Swapped with a buddy for a weekend a few years back. That thing was a rocket ship compared to my cruiser. Hardest part about riding it was resisting the urge to go faster all the time. I just found it to have a voice of it’s own that said “Come on man lets go come on man lets go come on man lets go why you going 70 when we can be going 170 come on man lets go come on man lets go”. Fast and nimble is the kind of thing that might give an inexperienced rider over confidence. Although you and I both know that the same things that make a sports bike “dangerous” are also the things that make them safer than bigger heavier bikes when you don’t ride them like your 16 years old.

Fun stuff at any rate. Would like to own one as a just for fun bike in addition to my daily ride one of these days.

[quote]atypical1 wrote:

[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
Figure Audi has sold around 25,000 R8s through 2014, I can’t help but think Lexus could have sold 800 LFAs a year at half the price and made some money on the car. Obviously, I have no idea what their production costs look like and I’d imagine they’d have to eliminate some of the carbon fiber, but still.[/quote]

That Lexus was simply an exercise for them. They can afford to lose money on each one and I really can’t imagine that their goal was anything more than proving they could do it. They have gotten a really staid image over the past few years and are trying to shed that.

james[/quote]

It’s a halo car. It helps them sell Corollas.

[quote]atypical1 wrote:

I do think the golden years of Japanese cars are behind them. They seemed much cooler in the 90s than they do now. Maybe because everyone else has caught up to them.

james[/quote]

I agree. The quality, performance, and reliability of domestic cars has improved greatly.

Im seriously thinking about putting my name down for one of these.

tweet

I love that car.

[quote]theBird wrote:
Im seriously thinking about putting my name down for one of these.

tweet[/quote]

Australian focus different than north american?

[quote]Broncoandy wrote:

[quote]theBird wrote:
Im seriously thinking about putting my name down for one of these.

tweet[/quote]

Australian focus different than north american?[/quote]
Don’t think so.

I think the new RS will be a global thing.

tweet

[quote]SexMachine wrote:
I’ll probably get a lightweight sports car for weekend fun and either the GT or the HSV GTS Gen F as an everyday.[/quote]

Good choice, a very under rated car, some people discount them because they are/were Australia made but they truly have outstanding performance.

Speaking of light weight cars got a chance to take a toyota 86 for a afternoon in the hills, thought at the start hmm but at the end of the day i was smiling, was real fun to belt around the hills in. It was underpowered but you could keep your license and u had to work the gearbox like a a one arm sniper in Afghanstan but can why the sell a fair few of them, was good honest fun.

[quote]aussie486 wrote:

Good choice, a very under rated car, some people discount them because they are/were Australia made but they truly have outstanding performance.

[/quote]

Yes, if you look at the power to weight ratio it’s pretty incredible. I’ve always liked Holdens. I drive a Commodore now.

[quote]

Speaking of light weight cars got a chance to take a toyota 86 for a afternoon in the hills, thought at the start hmm but at the end of the day i was smiling, was real fun to belt around the hills in. It was underpowered but you could keep your license and u had to work the gearbox like a a one arm sniper in Afghanstan but can why the sell a fair few of them, was good honest fun.[/quote]

Yes I mentioned earlier the handling on the Mazda MX5. Underpowered but great handling. The Lotus Elise S is like that but way better and turbo charged. But it’s pricey. The cheaper option would be a Westfield Sports is a bit like that but cheaper and it has a Huyabusa motorcycle engine that revs over 17000rpms. They’re hard to find though. I found one yesterday but it’s a LHD.

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

The cheaper option would be a Westfield Sports is a bit like that but cheaper and it has a Huyabusa motorcycle engine that revs over 17000rpms. They’re hard to find though. I found one yesterday but it’s a LHD.[/quote]

Did some reading on these Westfield Sports Cars that u mentioned, sounds like a total animal of a car, stripped down, no BS and goes like shit of a shovel. Gotta like the name Megabusa, will do some more reading, thanks for the heads up.

[quote]aussie486 wrote:

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

The cheaper option would be a Westfield Sports is a bit like that but cheaper and it has a Huyabusa motorcycle engine that revs over 17000rpms. They’re hard to find though. I found one yesterday but it’s a LHD.[/quote]

Did some reading on these Westfield Sports Cars that u mentioned, sounds like a total animal of a car, stripped down, no BS and goes like shit of a shovel. Gotta like the name Megabusa, will do some more reading, thanks for the heads up.
[/quote]

If you find one and you’re interested take a test drive. You’ll probably love it. I haven’t driven one but I drove an Lotus Elise S recently that was great. But I love the idea of the really high revving superbike engine + super lightweight / aerodynamic / low centre of gravity / 5/6 speed manual transmission. Much more of a raw driving experience.

[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:

[quote]Aggv wrote:
I believe Lexus loses money on every LFA. In however many years, that will be a seriously collectable car.

I think the EVO, GTR, and STI are still going carrying the torch for the Japanese but theyre not simple cheap fun cars like they used to make. [/quote]

Figure Audi has sold around 25,000 R8s through 2014, I can’t help but think Lexus could have sold 800 LFAs a year at half the price and made some money on the car. Obviously, I have no idea what their production costs look like and I’d imagine they’d have to eliminate some of the carbon fiber, but still.[/quote]

I believe the carbon fiber body was a huge expense on their part because of the fact that they had planned on making the body from aluminum then decided to make it from CF and had to start the body all over again.