I’ve been a fan of the LF-A since seeing a concept back in 2005. Since the car has finally been released in production form, I’ve been reading reviews and comments about the car. One criticism I seem to hear over and over is that the car has no heritage. Others seem to feel that the Supra is the spiritual ancestor of the LF-A.
2000gt rear 3/4
I have to disagree with both of these camps. There has been an extended break in the bloodline, but I think the true ancestor to the LF-A is the Toyota 2000GT. At the time it competed with the best from Germany and Italy. Interestingly, the production run was extremely limited, the interior was appointed very well for such a sporty car and the car was priced relatively high. Despite being conceived entirely as a street car, the 2000GT was also raced extensively in endurance racing just like the LF-A. It is also interesting to note the Nissan GT-R of its day competed with the 2000GT on the track and actually was actually slightly more powerful in stock form.
2000gt front
Fast forward 30 years and both cars have aged very well and are now classics. That said the 2000GT occupied an entirely different realm than the GT-R in the late ’60’s and it continues to do so today. It’s nice to see Toyota and Nissan getting back to their roots with two very different cars that each represent the heritage of their respective makers very well.

The second Underground Racing Twin Turbo Lamborghini Gallardo Jonah has added to his collection of Lamborghinis such as his UR TT Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 and other exotic cars. Using regular street tires at the local 1/4 mile drag stip, Jonah has already dipped into the 9's at 160+ mph the first time driving this car... not to mention his first time at a drag strip in over 10 years!

We like police cars. Seriously. Just not when they're filling our rearview mirrors, blue-and-reds ablaze. Then, our fanboy status diminishes markedly. In the meantime, however, we get pretty jazzed when a department does something a little different and cool. This week's example comes from the Broward County Sheriff's office, which appears to have added a fully-marked Dodge Challenger R/T to its fleet. Decked out in the BSO's familiar green-and-white livery, the muscular Mopar looks like it means business, ready to take down speeders and bust up meth labs with aplomb. We totally want to see it in person the next time we're down in South Florida -- just under our own, friendly terms...

Deus has put the 562 lb Harley-Davidson Nightster onto a weight-loss programme and created a motorcycle with looks that could kill. The new Deus 1200 V-Twin is one of the best bikes yet to come out of the Australian custom emporium, and it’s left us salivating.

The clumsy stock seat is swapped out for an elegant bobber-style item, installed behind a modified Yamaha SR400 tank with a quick release strap. The rear end and front fender are truncated, and the look is as tight as a gnat’s ass. Harley is coy about the horsepower of its pushrod ‘Evolution’ motor—probably about 65, we reckon—but it can now breathe a little easier thanks to a custom 2-into-1 pipe, a new injection map and a workout on the dyno. (The standard belt drive is left untouched, but there are kits if you really feel the need to keep something lubricated.) In keeping with the café racer theme, Deus adds clip-on bars, Storz rearsets and a simply stunning paint job. The detailing, finish and styling tweaks are beyond compare, so it’ll cost around A$28,000 (US$26,000) to put one of these in your garage. Contact Deus if you’re interested, and while you’re there, sign up for their excellent Oily Rag email newsletter.

When GM unveiled the new Opel Insignia-based Buick Regal last week, Bob Lutz was on hand to make make a number of his trademark Big Declarations. Other than all but offering a sign up list for CTS-V Sport Wagon orders, most of those claims--which may or may not become true--involved the new-for-U.S. Buick Regal.

First of all, it sounds quite likely that the all-wheel drive, turbocharged Insignia OPC will make it to the Buick lineup, which is fantastic news for enthusiasts. Lutz reportedly even went so far as throw out a figure of 335 horsepower. That's conveniently just enough to top the Infiniti G37, BMW 335i, and Audi S4. If it arrives, the hi-po Regal will likely revive the Buick Gran Sport, or GS nameplate. It was born with Skylarks of the Sixties, build a decent name for itself, and ended life as a supercharged version of the last Regal sold here, which wasn't a bad car but it wasn't exactly a sports sedan, either. This goes against the hopes of some enthusiasts wanting a return of the Grand National or GNX nameplates, but to do that name justice, the new Regal would need to frighten children and suck the souls out of lesser vehicles.