Toyota 1LR-GUE

The 4.8 V10 of the Lexus LFA — the 1LR-GUE, designed with Yamaha.

⚑ It revs from idle to 9,000 rpm faster than an analogue needle can follow, which is why the LFA has a digital tachometer — a design consequence, not a styling choice, and the single fact that explains the engine.

It is a titanium-and-magnesium engine built in very small numbers: titanium connecting rods and valves, a magnesium cam cover, forged pistons, and individual throttle bodies. Roughly 500 were made, which is the practical constraint on everything — parts are effectively unobtainable outside Lexus, and no independent experience exists worth the name.

Yamaha's involvement extended to the sound, which was tuned acoustically rather than merely resulting from the layout.

Nothing in this catalogue is a useful comparison for it, and the honest advice on one is that it is a factory-only proposition.