Every decade or so Japanese automakers bring out a surprise. We had Honda with the NSX, Nissan with GTR, and then we had Lexus with LFA. While most people overlook them for not being as outlandish as Italian supercars or powerful as American sports cars, the Japanese know how to deliver. As is the case with most Japanese cars, reassurance is their USP.
With the LFA, however, Toyota had zero interest in making any profit. It was more of a halo car that proved Toyota’s still in the game when it comes to high-performance machines. With supercar sophistication and Corolla-like reliability, the LFA was Toyota’s motorsport division getting a free hand in making the ultimate road car. The Lexus LFA was a very exclusive supercar aimed at the wealthy with a sticker price of around $400,000 when it was new back in 2011.
Currently being sold for well over $500,000, the rarity and bespoke nature of the Lexus LFA can be attributed to the car being so good.
Not Your Everyday Lexus
Lexus as a brand usually appeals to the middle-class where you can afford to spare a few bucks for something premium. The last thing that anybody would associate Lexus with is a 550 horsepower supercar. Speaking of power; the Lexus LFA uses a 4.8-liter naturally aspirated V10. Power stands at 553 horsepower to be specific and the engine manages to put out 354 lb-ft of torque.
The last thing you’d expect to hear is a screaming V10 with a Lexus badge. While the car is far more appealing than your run of the mill Lexus, it does share a few Lexus traits. For instance, the LFA is heavily understated in how it looks. Contrary to modern-day Lexus’ which stands out, the LFA is fairly muted when it comes to design. That’s not to say it’s a bad looking car, the LFA has every detail you’d expect from a car of this stature albeit a bit civilized.
There’s nothing civilized about its performance. The LFA takes around 3.7 seconds to reach 60 mph and can go up to a top speed of 202 mph. Primarily set up as a rear-wheel-drive supercar, the only gripe we could point out is the 6-speed sequential manual gearbox. A rather dated piece of kit on a car that is otherwise timeless.
Everything is Bespoke Inside And Out
You might expect Lexus to go out to the parts bin and chuck a few knobs and switches inside the LFA, well that’s not the case. Everything is made entirely for the car. Part of the reason why the LFA had extensive development times was due to the engineers deciding on switching to carbon-fiber. Initially, the Lexus LFA was supposed to be an all-aluminum architecture but when the R&D progressed, carbon-fiber became a lot more accessible. The team then decided to employ a carbon tub with aluminum subframes. This brought in exceptional weight savings with the LFA totaling around 3200 pounds.
Everything inside is again totally bespoke to the LFA, with a unique instrument cluster with a motorized tachometer. Another unique quirk of the LFA is the indicator stalk; it’s one of the most beautifully engineering pieces of plastic that feels properly sturdy unlike the ones inside a Corolla. You get a mix of leather and Alcantara as part of the upholstery with optional carbon-fiber inlays. Everything you touch and feel is top-notch as is the case with any Lexus. Infotainment is not the most intuitive nor modern in terms of functionality. The car being developed over a decade ago, the hi-fi was the best you could have at the time.
An Appreciating Asset
As is the case with most limited-edition supercars, speculators go around advising people to get them as investments. While these did make sense for certain products like a limited run Ferrari or Bugatti, you really would not expect a return on your Lexus. After all most of them end up depreciating much like mundane cars. That’s not the case with the LFA though. For starters, there are just 500 units across the globe. Secondly, there is a high possibility of Lexus not making another V10 powered supercar at any point in the distant future.
Also, with the recent trend of electrification and hybrid powertrains overlapping internal combustion engines, there’s every reason to buy an LFA; as a car or as an investment. Either way, you are entitled to a rewarding experience, the LFA's in fact the best sounding car ever made, and along with the thrills you might end up making 50% over list in the next 5-10 years.
As with many collector cars across the globe, the LFA has already been considered an investment. Many collectors have taken an interest in the LFA and its Nurburgring edition which is rarer at just 50 units supplied around the world.
Sources: YouTube, Wikipedia