While the sound produced by a supercar is often likened to a symphony, Lexus has taken the acoustic performance of its new LFA far more seriously in order to create its Formula 1-inspired soundtrack.
An acoustic team was assembled specifically for the LFA project whose sole job was to ensure the exhaust note of the LFA was unlike any other car on the road, enhancing the sensation of speed and acceleration.
The aural qualities of the V10 engine and exhaust system has been fine-tuned to create a unmistakeable “soundtrack” that rises from a rumbling note at idle to a nape-tingling red-line wail.
The main silencer is made of titanium and has a valve-actuated, dual-stage structure that channels the exhaust flow according to engine speed.
The exhaust valve stays closed below 3000rpm, routing the flow through multiple chambers, creating an unobtrusive note.
As the needle rises the valve opens, allowing the exhaust to bypass these chambers and flow into a single resonance chamber, before exiting through the stacked trio of tailpipes.
The induction system was also modified to complement the engine’s acoustic properties, featuring a uniquely formed horizontally split resin surge tank which mimics the acoustic chamber of wind and string instruments.
Up to 4000rpm the engine emits a wail equal to a frequency of 300Hz; this changes to 400 to 500Hz as the engine revs climb to 6,000rpm; and a peak is reached at 600Hz as the engine wails towards its 9,000rpm red line.
Even the air intake is made from a porous duct material to generate the bass and mid-range tones – an effect the LFA development team call Resonated Complex Harmony.
This unique soundtrack is played into the cabin through a sound channel running from the surge tank into the cabin below the main dashboard panel, so people on board can enjoy the experience as much as those on the outside.
Two further sound channels run to an opening in the upper cowl on top of the dashboard structure and a reflector panel low down at the front of the cabin.
Together with the primary sound channel, these put the driver at the centre of the LFA team calls the 3D Surround Sound Concept.
Great to see they took the sound seriously, considering how they could properly relish the v10 in all its glory!
i didn’t even know car makers cared about the sound that much
Well… it worked!
Probably should have spent a bit more time on the front end….
they should have spent more time making the engine look good, mmmmmm black plastic, you dont see that on a Ferrari now do you.
Once again this just goes to show that Toyota (and their subsiduaries) really don’t understand the passion behind motoring enthusiasts. Rather than concentrating all their efforts on making hte vehicle “Beautiful to Behold” and the absolute best it could possibly be, the put their efforts into (and boast about) making sure it is the best pretender.
Sure engine noise is part of the equation, but if you build the right car, the public will accept whatever noise it makes… eg late seventies early eighties Lotus Esprit Turbo’s didn’t have the note of a V8 Ferrari or Maserati (V8 & V6) but were accepted because they did their intended job… Also Audi Quatro with it’s odd sounding 5 cyl became De Riguer… Add to that list that changed the norm Subaru…
These were all companies more interested in substance than style…
Funny you should mention the Lotus Esprit, cause I had always put it at the top of my list of desireable cars to drive. Well sadly I’ve driven one now and found at 6’2 it was rather cramped and uncomfortable”. Shame Colin Chapman was only thinking of himself when he built it.
I have to say engine noise is a huge factor for me. I got out of a turbo and into an 8 even though the 8 is slower, but partly due to the noise (“tempany”, I think it is called, but I might be speaking out of somewhere I shouldnt). The noise still makes the bristles stand up when it gets cranked up. That said, really because I will never take my car to a track and race it, I am more interested in style, and the things that make me excited, than substance.