A Lexus that costs HOW much?
The Lexus LFA is one of the most brilliant, evocative, weird and technically-proficient cars ever made — so why doesn’t anyone ever talk about it?
Well, for starters, and this is a big one — it’s a Lexus. Call it brand snobbery, ignorance or whatever you like, but few could justify forking out more than half a million dollars (when new) for the bragging rights of a limited production Lexus.
I mean really, imagine walking past a Lexus ES300 on your way to collecting your half-million-dollar supercar — doesn’t really put you in the mood for laying a coupla’ 11’s on your way home.
Aside from the fact that it was (and still is) a Lexus, the LFA wasn’t greeted with universal praise on its release either. Many touted it as too expensive, too slow, irrelevant and years behind more contemporary supercars that cost a fraction of the price.
The Lexus LFA was conceived out of curiosity and fathered by Toyota’s ongoing commitment to research and momentum that would trickle down to future sports cars.
At first the Lexus LFA was supposed to be aluminium, but when they couldn’t get the weight to where they wanted it, they turned to carbon fibre-reinforced plastic — a fact that goes someway to explaining how Toyota charged more than half-a-million dollars for the LFA while losing money on each car they made.
The centrepiece of the LFA is its engine. A bespoke, naturally aspirated 4.8-litre V10 co-developed with Yamaha. Built from aluminium, titanium alloy and magnesium, Toyota boasted that the 4805cc V10 was smaller than conventional V8 engines and the same weight as a V6.
Peak power is 412kW at a nauseating 8700rpm, while peak torque is rated at 480Nm which isn’t available until 6800rpm. Coupled with a widely-criticised six-speed sequential gearbox the Lexus LFA will hit 100km/h in 3.7-seconds and 326km/h (202mph) flat out.
So then, the LFA is slower, more expensive and nowhere near as theatrical as it’s Italian and German counterparts, so why should you buy one?
To put it simply, the Lexus LFA sounds like an F1 car.
In fact, according to Jeremy Clarkson, the Lexus LFA boasts the greatest automotive soundtrack ever.
Just 10 LFA’s were delivered to Australia when it was launched in 2011. All of which were quickly snapped up by private customers — with few sightings to confirm their existence, this Lexus LFA is your chance to own one of the most exclusive supercars ever made.
With 26,426km on the clock, this Lexus LFA commands an asking price of $990,000AUD.
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