Rather than the usual mano-y-mono style of a ground vehicle versus a military aircraft, two individuals – Marc Arnold (Eclipse Business Jet Owner / Charter Pilot and loyal Lexus customer) and Kent Stevinson (Lexus LFA Owner / Stevinson Automotive), decided to have a gentleman’s wager of USD5,000 where the winner takes all and the proceeds going to the individual’s charity programme to see which of their choice machine comes out on top – The Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition or the Eclipse 500 Business Jet.
Introducing the main contender, one Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition that’s capable of 564bhp (10bhp more than the regular LFA) from its 4.8L hand-built V10 engine. Torque figures remain the same, but the LFA is able to scream its way up to 100km in a mere time of 3.6 seconds before topping out at a little over 300kmh in spite of it getting a larger front spoiler, fin-type side spoilers, a canard fin and a fixed rear wing – which subsequently increases drag.
And to help it stick around tight corners, a 10mm lowered suspension system as well as improved brakes certainly makes this a real track performer, as Japanese race driver Akira Lida piloted a Nürburgring Edition around the Nordschleife in just 7min 14.64s. To top it off, Lexus is only manufacturing 50 units of the LFA Nürburgring Edition.
The next contender is the Eclipse 500 Business jet that comes into the duel with a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F turbofan engines capable of 900lbs of thrust each (1,800lbs of total thrust) for an aircraft that weighs in at about 2,500kg, allowing it to cruise at a maximum speed of 685kmh, climb at a little over 1km per minute and reach a service ceiling of about 12,500m.
But why pit the LFA against the Eclipse? Only because these two man-made machines not only have wings, but also represent their respective pinnacle of automotive/aeronautical technologies and are both obviously fast and highly maneuverable as one Ken Meyer said “…the Eclipse makes you feel like a fighter pilot. It handles like a Mooney with jet engines. Tight and crisp, a sports car of the air…” and not to mention both of them are certified to have very low emissions – the Eclipse is currently the world’s most fuel-efficient jet at the moment.
The course has been laid and the flag’s about to drop, now all u need do is click to play the clip and make sure you’ve got the speakers on full.
