Why don't Japanese sports cars have more street cred compared to European brands? | Page 3 | FerrariChat

Why don't Japanese sports cars have more street cred compared to European brands?

Discussion in 'General Automotive Discussion' started by ren0312, May 25, 2020.

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  1. Isobel

    Isobel F1 World Champ

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    “Shiny Nissans and Buicks” just doesn’t cut it though....;)
    Trivia: owned a Corvair when she made it. Bought another after it was stolen.
     
  2. Solid State

    Solid State F1 Veteran
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    Still is in my mind. Bland.
     
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  3. 95spiderman

    95spiderman F1 World Champ
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    Lfa is a great motor looking for transmission and body to match
     
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  4. energy88

    energy88 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    More impressive in person where the eyes and ears can sense it in real life rather than in a two-dimensional world of screen or paper.
     
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  5. 95spiderman

    95spiderman F1 World Champ
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    no doubt its a cool car. my friend was lexus dealer at the time so im familiar with it in real life. its no where near a 599gto which was its price point competitor. its more a gtr competitor imo.
     
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  6. BMW.SauberF1Team

    BMW.SauberF1Team F1 World Champ

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    GTR competitor but 4x the price for the same performance and similar subdued Japanese looks. Not sure who they were trying to sell to back then and still not sure who would buy one now.
     
  7. BMW.SauberF1Team

    BMW.SauberF1Team F1 World Champ

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  8. ferrariwithsnowtires

    ferrariwithsnowtires Formula Junior

    Dec 17, 2005
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    Kind of funny to be on a Ferrari site and focus on performance per dollar.

    The buyers for these tend to be folks who own diverse collections of interesting cars, and with limited production.

    The LFA was built with a nearly no expense spared approach, hand laid CF tub, amazing engine, lots of one off switch gear, built to be essentially unbreakable.

    I am not saying it is the best looking car but some design elements like the cresting wave air intakes are unique.

    If you ever get to drive one, I would be interested in seeing if your view of the car moves.

    It feels somewhat video game like in that the sounds and the ease of the engine revving and the poised handling around a track don't make sense to one's brain.
     
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  9. Auraraptor

    Auraraptor F1 World Champ
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    I actually like/admire the LFA....its was very much Toyota's version of the (original) NSX.
    Unfortunately for its asking price there are many other cars I would buy first/rather own. That is not a fault of the car, more my bank account!
     
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  10. Tcar

    Tcar F1 Rookie

    Yes???? then why didn't they hire a competent automotive studio to design the d.... thing.
    Conch shells in front of the rear quarter windows?? What's up with that?
    Roof gutter leaf guard mesh scattered around willy-nilly.
    What were they thinking?
     
  11. energy88

    energy88 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Somewhere after this point, things at the Wind Tunnel went berserk. They supposedly designed the car from the inside out.
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  12. JaguarXJ6

    JaguarXJ6 F1 Veteran

    Feb 12, 2003
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    Agree with the comments that Japanese manufacturers jump into the market to make something special only to abandon it.

    I still have a heavily modified Supra 6spd parked next to the F430 in the garage. I sold my GT-R for a heavily modified RX-7 5spd and those two cars were complete opposites in personality and engagement. The GT-R was designed to be like the Porsche Turbo S, a modern comfortable all weather usable speed appliance. And that's precisely what turned me off over time. It was still stock, drama free and effortless to drive fast. This is what makes me like modern sports cars or super cars less and less.

    I ended up loving but flipping the RX-7 and find myself watching the market wanting another one.

    Here in Colorado, I get an equal amount of attention driving the F430 as I do in the Supra. I get more appreciation from motorcyclists in waves/thumbs up/peace signs and rubber necking from other drivers in the F430. People will goad me to open up the F430 to hear it or want to line up to race it. I get more thumbs up in the Supra from other drivers and people approaching me to talk about the car. I get a lot more awe/recognition from enthusiasts when in the Supra.
     
  13. ferrariwithsnowtires

    ferrariwithsnowtires Formula Junior

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    My understanding (probably off base) is that Japanese design often tries to meld product design with harmonizing with nature. The LFA air intakes are cresting waves and I have always found those to be both attractive and something that sets the design apart (I am not saying this is the greatest looking car every to be penned).

    The leaf guard mesh as you put it, I am not so sure about the willy-nilly. If you ever stand behind an LFA while it is running, be sure to have a cold drink ready. The car has fans on both rear corners that drive an amazing amount of heat from the car. I believe this is one of the design elements that helps to keep the car so reliable.
     
  14. GrigioGuy

    GrigioGuy Splenda Daddy
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    IMHO it's two elements

    First has been discussed on here before. They make great cars and then abandon them. They never define the brand by a sports car. Toyota, Honda, Nissan -- they all evoke 4 door sedans, because that's the consistent product.

    Second, the "Japanese car scene" is stigmatized by the penumbra of the neon ricers of old, and the fact that so many of the cars are FWD only.
     
  15. ferrariwithsnowtires

    ferrariwithsnowtires Formula Junior

    Dec 17, 2005
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    Since the R35 came out, Nissan has supported the program with plenty of updates. The tough thing is they are in kinda financial blech land. Leadership shot their mouth off about the R36 being the faster car you can buy and then said their customers don't want a hybrid. Kinda no way to meet their promises so the program is in limbo. Toyota and Honda are flush so their excuses are limited. They are conservative companies and don't want to put a car out like a Hellcat that would result in a bunch of hospitalized owners and folks who got crashed into.
     
  16. Sterling Sackey

    Sterling Sackey Formula 3
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    #66 Sterling Sackey, Jun 11, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 11, 2020
    LFA vs. 599 GTO

    Summary of comments at the end: "I think the LFA is the one that will stick in my mind, and I'll remember this drive for a long time. It's come from nowhere, it doesn't have all the background of the Ferrari and all the heritage, but they've just produced something that is absolutely brilliant - it's the king..."

    I also encourage those who criticize the LFA transmission to listen to the almost nonexistent difference between the 599 GTO and LFA in the 2nd video showing acceleration.

    Side note - anybody who compares the LFA to the Nissan GT-R doesn't understand what the LFA is at all, and that's coming from someone who loves GT-Rs! Put simply, the GT-R is a numbers car, the LFA is an experience car.



     
  17. 95spiderman

    95spiderman F1 World Champ
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    Imo, gap of emotions from gtr to lfa probably equal to gap lfa to gto. Lfa straddles the gap between the 2 but cost is more equal to gto. I remember comparisons lfa v gto and I feel lfa benefits from coming out of no where when journos review them. All 3 are nice cars but gto is winner for me, and im not gto fan due to weight and size. Tdf w advanced tech v lfa would be no contest.
     
  18. Sterling Sackey

    Sterling Sackey Formula 3
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    Have you driven both cars?
     
  19. 95spiderman

    95spiderman F1 World Champ
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    easy street drive in lfa but passenger in both at speed. long time ago though. its all opinion anyway.
     
  20. Solid State

    Solid State F1 Veteran
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    I'm hard to please. Neither car impresses me compared to what's out there. GTO is a Ferrari though so hands down a special car.
     
  21. BMW.SauberF1Team

    BMW.SauberF1Team F1 World Champ

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  22. ShineKen

    ShineKen F1 World Champ
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  23. energy88

    energy88 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    To me, it's not ugly, ugly but looks like this was purposely made "plain Jane." My thinking is that the operative words in the article "early glance" and "preview" and "concept" are merely decoy words to keep the actual design under wraps until release. To me, what is shown in the article might be a disguised "test mule" cloaked using a retro theme.

    In most cases, an actual production car is disappointing versus a concept version. Witness what happened with the Supra. In the case of the Z, let's hope that the actual car is NOT worse than the concept.
     
  24. merstheman

    merstheman F1 Rookie

    Apr 13, 2007
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    I like the new Z but it is very clearly built on the 370Z platform - interior is very very similar with a few updates. I thought by this point they'd have a brand new car but given that Nissan is in some financial trouble I can understand sticking to what they already have.
     
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