LFA Appreciation

ferrariwithsnowtires · Aug 16, 2021

Oops, I thought a ring car could bring $1.2 in Summer 2021

This one brought $1.6

https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/mo21/monterey/lots/r0030-2012-lexus-lfa-nuerburgring-package/1106413

The Red Baron · Aug 17, 2021

High price. Not that fond of Black/Black.

fire_n_ice · Apr 17, 2022

I wrote that article. Four years later, I am even more in love with my LFA than I was back then. Every drive is more magical than the last and the car has been utterly reliable. It is truly astounding what Lexus achieved with the LFA; to me, it's almost not even a car, but something else entirely.

Sterling Sackey said: ↑

A great owner-written piece on the LFA, I've copied it below for your reading enjoyment!

http://autostradamagazine.com/editorials/the-lexus-lfa

The Lexus LFA.
The anti-Tesla. That’s one way to describe my Lexus LFA, if only by contrast. While I respect the electric cars as a mode of transport, I imagine their design brief was something like ‘brisk but silent acceleration for four passengers and a dog’. The LFA clearly received a different memo. There is room for a single, well-hydrated passenger who will appreciate the absence of cup-holders or a place to put, well, anything. And quiet performance is an oxymoron in this car's world. Such is the aural drama of the LFA, that the throttle pedal feels more like a detonator switch.

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I’ve had a profound interest in sports cars since my early teenage years, when flamboyant exotics like the Ferrari Testarossa and Lamborghini Countach captured my imagination and also, admittedly, part of my heart. Indeed, my collection includes a Testarossa, which never fails to remind me of the power of nostalgia every time I take it for a drive. Over the years, the automotive infatuation has only grown, confusing family members and other non-aficionados along the way. I don't consider myself an adrenaline-junkie or a thrill-seeker. Rather, I'm more deeply concerned with the construction of a fast car, its design, and how it fulfills its mission of high performance. For me, the driving is simply the culmination of that analysis, albeit an activity that I thoroughly enjoy.

Now entering middle age, I have owned or test driven samples of nearly every brand from Corvette to McLaren, a journey that had no reason to ever make a stop at Lexus. I confess that the LFA barely hit my radar when the car launched around the turn of the decade. Like many, I assigned no credibility to the manufacturer of quiet, plush and soft-riding sedans; in what world could they build a Ferrari-rivaling supercar on their first attempt? Certainly not mine. When Jeremy Clarkson opined that it was the best car he'd ever driven, I wrote it off as mere showmanship. When The Stig agreed, I began to take notice.

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Inevitably, my curiosity led to consuming a series of documentaries and articles that illustrated the sheer fastidiousness that went into creating the LFA. I learned of the 'Takumi', master artisans that were culled from the entire Toyota employee population to be responsible for the LFA's production. I was astounded that Lexus brought carbon fiber design and manufacturing in-house and made nearly the entire car out of the material. Perhaps most intriguing was the idea that Lexus did all of this for a single run of 500 cars and then essentially dismantled the entire LFA Works operation. The project was a no-expense-spared exercise to prove that Lexus could create a supercar at the highest level. I began to think that a car built to this standard just might deserve some of the lofty praise it was receiving. By this time, online video reviews were cropping up and when I heard the sound of the Formula One-inspired V10 engine revving past 9,000 RPM, I was sold.

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Only ten LFAs were allotted to Canada, so it took me about a year to locate and procure an example. Having the car shipped from the West coast gave me plenty of time to wonder whether I had made a mistake. After all, I'd never even sat in an LFA, much less test driven one.

Three years later, I can confirm that any such fears were entirely unwarranted. On every level, the car has exceeded my high expectations. I am completely smitten. Foremost, it drives brilliantly, with a suspension that strikes a perfect balance between body control and ride suppleness. So often, this nuanced trait eludes a supercar.

As good as the LFA's chassis is, however, the powertrain is the highlight and, arguably, the defining feature of the car. I have long since run out of superlatives to describe the engine, as there are no words that convey the throttle response, urgency and sound of the 4.8-liter V10. If you have experienced, or can imagine, the way that a powerful sport bike responds to a flick of the wrist, you are on the right track. Revs climb so quickly, and with such intensity, that you are guaranteed to run into the 9,500-RPM limiter the first few times you attempt full-throttle acceleration. When you combine this highly provocative nature with the LFA's intake and exhaust sounds, you'd be forgiven if you find the experience frenetic and perhaps even overwhelming.

Indeed, a plethora of articles and videos now exist that document the extraordinary sound that Lexus and Yamaha were able to impart to the LFA. Somehow, they managed to capture the essence and timbre of a V10-era Formula One racecar, even in intensity, though thankfully not quite in loudness. It was a remarkable feat, considering the lengths to which car companies go in order to make their cars sound impressive. When you stab the throttle, the LFA instantly barks and eagerly awaits your next move. If you stay in it, a primal wail builds in pitch and ferocity with every increment of the tachometer, snapping all of your senses to attention. As the needle charges past 9,000 RPM, the LFA reaches a crescendo that challenges you to time the upshift perfectly, so that you might extract every last decibel. It’s invigorating and makes every drive in the LFA an exciting and memorable event.

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Of course, a racetrack is required to exploit the LFA's full performance, and I have indulged. Over last 15 years, I have gradually transitioned to driving racecars, almost exclusively, on the track, but I still enjoy a few laps in a road car to see what it can do. Compared to most road cars, I find the LFA to have a very strong front end, which is to say it does not under-steer. Rather, it turns in sharply and, if anything, you'll need to manage grip and traction at the rear tires. It's an aggressive setup that’s likely optimal in skilled hands and slightly more knife-edged than you might expect in a street machine. The carbon brakes are immensely capable and mine have never faded during a track session. Perhaps best of all, the LFA is seemingly infallible, even under these extreme conditions. The tires settle predictably into their hot pressures and there isn't a coolant or oil temp warning in sight. I have dubbed my car The Terminator.

This reliability is no doubt the result of the LFA's meticulous design and production. Still, it’s remarkable that, other than the industry-wide Takata airbag replacement, the LFA has not been subject to a single recall. My McLaren had so many in the first 24 months that I lost count. I find the LFA to be built to an uncanny level of precision, having never leaked so much as a single drop of fluid onto my garage floor. Every Spring, it comes off the trickle charger and fires up readily, as if it had been driven earlier that day. Furthermore, the service costs are a fraction of a typical supercar, which has been a welcome surprise.

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Would I change anything about my LFA? Only one thing, but probably not what you would expect: I feel that supercars today are too powerful for their intended use as road cars, the LFA included. I would gladly trade some horsepower for even higher RPM. Any 600-plus-horsepower supercar can hit 200 MPH. But, how many can make you feel like Michael Schumacher winding a screaming racecar above 10,000 RPM? In our rapidly evolving electric car future, this seems like a foregone impossibility. But, fortunately, the LFA comes tantalizingly close.
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Tenney · Apr 18, 2022

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2012-lexus-lfa-7/

energy88 · Jul 21, 2023

This just in: Last new LFA in Australia officially now "sold."

https://www.clublexus.com/articles/last-new-lexus-lfa-in-australia-was-finally-sold-this-june/?utm_source=2023721&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=content

Sterling Sackey · Dec 13, 2023

Amazing to see values of these today vs when this thread was started!

The Red Baron · Dec 17, 2023

The LFA was a given, always going to increase in value. Looked for one on many occasions and bid on a couple but always just missing out.
Will it go up more. I think the rise in value may stall for awhile now.

Sterling Sackey · Dec 28, 2023

LFA tested against the 599 HGTE by Car and Driver when new.

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TAGMotorsports · Feb 19, 2024

Popping in to share a few pics of our shop LFA We own LFA #437, finished in Steel Grey Metallic with orange leather interior. After we bought this one, we added the Carbon Fiber door panels from the Nürburgring edition.

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Sterling Sackey · Feb 19, 2024

Lovely example!

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