Sitting inside the LF-A in the Goodwood pitlane, waiting for the rain to abate, it’s obvious that once you strip away the racing fripperies, this is actually already a production interior. It feels like a road car that’s been stripped and turned into a racer.
Like the race car, the road car will weigh 1500kg – the rollcage and racing kit weight the same as a road car interior. That means 550bhp and 1500kg, which means 366.6bhp per tonne, only a fraction less than the 373bhp per tonne of the Ferrari 599. So it’s quick, then, with a capital Q.
The V10 doesn’t explode into life but neither is it what you’d call quiet. What it is, is almost entirely vibration-free when I blip the throttle, which is surprising considering the engine is effectively bolted to the chassis beneath the bonnet.
There’s a clonk from the transaxle when first gear engages, and as I pull away the ride immediately feels firm but refined, not at all racing car hard. Another faint but disappointing clonk as second and third are selected. A bit more throttle introduces a lot more noise into the cockpit; a cross between a 1980s Quattro and an F1 car from a few years ago, with a bit of Lamborghini-style crackling on the overrun for good measure.
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