Classic pearls of the future - Lexus LFA
07/17/2019
Many people may have forgotten that Lexus built a super sports car a few years ago and sold 500 of them. The Lexus LFA was built from 2010 to 2012 and it wasn't cheap, because if you wanted one, you had to fork out around EUR 375,000. And unlike other hyper sports cars, it didn't have its engine in front of the driver and not behind.
Otherwise, however, the specifications of the largely hand-built sports car were entirely in keeping with the times. The V10 had a displacement of 4805 cm3, dispensed with forced induction and easily revved above 9000 rpm. 560 hp were already available at 8700 rpm, 480 Nm at 6800 rpm. Gears were shifted using paddles on both sides of the steering wheel. The ergonomics were well thought out. And at 1485 kg, it was comparatively light.
The relatively compact LFA (4.505 x 1.895 x 1.22 m) looked and felt like no other car, according to the few test drivers who were allowed behind the wheel. And the acoustics! The Japanese were aiming for the sound of a high-revving Formula 1 engine (then still a V10) and they succeeded.
And if all this wasn't exclusive enough for you, you could order the "Nürburgring Package", which was only delivered 50 times. It offered more downforce and around 10 hp more with a slightly reduced weight.
These examples in particular are already fetching very high prices at auctions , while the "normal" examples are currently around the same price as new.
You hardly ever see a Lexus LFA on the road, most of them have probably ended up in collectors' garages. A pity, really.
It will be exciting to see how carefully Lexus will treat the owners of these cars in the future (spare parts, maintenance, support). In any case, Lexus has no plans to build a successor, at least according to Lexus Europe boss Alain Uyttenhoven in February 2016. This can only benefit the increase in value ...
