LOUD AND PROUD

Reading Corby’s ‘Flat six and out’ column (Wheels, October 2018) confirmed for me once again that Stephen is one of the finest automotive journos in Australia. His shock and disappointment at the “farty and flaccid and awful” noise emanating from his Cayman GTS tester struck a resonant chord with me, albeit for different reasons.

Recently I had the privilege of attending a Lexus drive day at Brisbane’s Lakeside Raceway, where I was turned loose to play with the very best of Lexus’ ‘F’ cars: the RC F, LC 500 and the GS F. All are equipped with the now-endangered atmo 5.0 litre V8, putting out 351kw and 530Nm.

And boy, are they opera to the ears! Not the uncouth, unburnt-fuel-emitting rumbling of American ‘muscle cars’, nor the thunder of AMG’S finest. No, these Yamaha-tuned engines sing a soft, sonorous lullaby at low revs, rising to a powerful Wagnerian bellow when you sink the boot. Say what you like about Lexus, but only those who’ve never driven (or heard a hard-driven) one could knock the noise, or the performance, of these Oriental buggers. Stuart Kennedy, Bli Bli, Qld

Every staffer here adored ‘my’ long-term LC 500 for exactly that reason (and were so-so about the hybrid version). What’s more, I’ve yet to hear a production car that can give you goose bumps quite like the incredible V10 LFA. – Ed

“Only those who’ve never driven one could knock the noise...”