Production ended in 2012 and Lexus still hasn’t sold all of them!
Although the Lexus LFA has a bespoke V10 engine that produces over 550 bhp, has near-perfect weight distribution and is an iconic car that will go down in Lexus history, there are still some brand new LFAs sitting in showrooms waiting to be sold.
Well, we’re not sure they’re actually in showrooms, but there are brand new, undriven LFAs out there waiting to be sold, even though production ended back in 2012. To get an idea of just how slowly they sell, Lexus only sold six LFAs in 2016 and sold one in 2017.
A grand total of 500 LFAs were produced, making this special JDM supercar even more special. 500 is a very low number and is comparable to the number of Ferrari F40s, Ford GTs and Bugatti Veyrons that were produced, and the similarities with other legendary cars don’t end there either.
Last year, Lexus released their sales figures which revealed that they sold three LFAs in 2019, seven years past the end of its production!
In 2017, a Lexus spokesperson for the US market confirmed that there were “12 LFAs in dealer inventory”, meaning that although that number is now likely almost zero, we believe there are still a handful of untouched, new examples laying about somewhere in the world. A true testament to the awful sales performance of this legendary supercar.
The LFA’s engine is incredibly special, even more so than the rest of the car, and is well-known for being one of the best-sounding engines ever created for a supercar. The custom-built 1LR-GUE engine was co-developed by Yamaha. Yamaha are not just known for making Motorcycles, but also musical instruments such as pianos and guitars, so it makes total sense that the LFA played a tune like no other. A tune not easily forgotten.
Engineering-wise, the engine was revered for its ability to get up to range so quickly. The LFA’s engine was so perfectly built and designed that it was able to rev from idle up to 9500 rpm so quickly that an ordinary tachometer needle couldn’t keep up!
Continuing the bespoke theme, the LFA also sits upon a purpose-built suspension, engineered by Toyota. Saving weight and just making the design more streamlined, the LFA didn’t need to rely on adaptive dampers and instead sat upon coil-over dampers attached to front double wishbone suspension and a multilink rear axle – made to measure for the LFA and the LFA only.
Despite having these great quirks and more, the LFA severely undersold mainly due to its hefty price tag. With competitors such as Audi, Mercedes and BMW all offering sports cars at more competitive prices, Lexus never managed to get their foot in the supercar market with the stunning LFA. Lexus, as a brand, is often compared to the aforementioned brands and yet the LFA was priced more like a Ferrari or even a Bugatti, sitting at a cool £340,000.
Although the price wasn’t right, the car was and everyone who calls themselves a Japanese car enthusiast will undoubtedly regard this Lexus as one of the greats. Up there with the Honda NSX, Toyota Supra and Nissan Skyline, the LFA will go down as one of the greats.
Let’s just hope that whoever is looking after those pristine LFAs has put plenty of fuel additive in with the 8-year-old petrol!
If you enjoyed this, why not read about how the BMW M3 (the only V8 M3 ever) will surely make a great classic!
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Even if I had the money I’m not sure I would buy one of these. I used to drive and work on some decent cars years ago working in the car trade. Too exotic perhaps. I’d certainly buy one of their more mainstream cars. Just waiting to win the lottery!