RE: Lexus LFA Nurburgring: Spotted

RE: Lexus LFA Nurburgring: Spotted

Thursday 5th February 2015

Lexus LFA Nurburgring: Spotted

When half a million pounds can look good value; a very rare LFA surfaces in the classifieds



Time is money, so they say. In the case of the Lexus LFA Nurburgring Package, you can work out the value of time. It's about £2,700 a second.

What a masterpiece
What a masterpiece
The first record broken (and still held) by the LFA Nurburgring Package was that of 'most expensive Japanese car ever put on sale'. We can't be too exact about the price, sadly, because at the time of writing even Toyota couldn't confirm it. Contemporary press releases were coy. Car magazine said £411,700; Autocar reckoned £403K, and we're going with that figure, making the NP £63,600 more than the standard machine.

For that you got track-optimising aerodynamics in the shape of a larger front spoiler, fin-type side spoilers, a canard fin, fixed rear wing, bespoke mesh-type wheels and dedicated high-grip tyres. Revised suspension settings brought a 10mm reduction in ride height and transmission shift times were cut to 0.15 sec. Because additional downforce reduces a car's out-and-out performance stats, the Nurburgring LFA got a 10hp top-up to 570hp to make sure that the headline 0-62mph acceleration time of 3.7 seconds and general performance levels were maintained.

It worked. In August 2011, an NP driven by Akira Iida brought the LFA's 'Ring time down to a new production car record of 7min 14.6sec, then the fastest lap time for a current, regular production car around the Nordschleife circuit and knocking more than 23 seconds off Horst von Sauma's 7min 38sec in the stock car.

Best like Alcantara
Best like Alcantara
If £63,600 still seems a big hike, remember that it also brought major exclusivity, a key element in assessing the investability of any limited numbers car. Some more figures now.

The production run of the hand-assembled, carbon fibre-tubbed Lexus LFA lasted two years and was set at a strict worldwide limit of 500 cars, with 50 to be set aside for the Nurburgring Package treatment. Focusing on Europe alone, 40 regular LFAs were sold here; Germany being the largest market with 15 units, followed by Switzerland (six), the UK (five), the Netherlands (four) and France (three). A pair of European owners liked their LFAs so much, they bought two. One bought three.

Of those 40 European LFAs, only four were to Nurburgring Package spec. Buyers received one-to-one driving tuition from a Nurburgring chief instructor, plus a year's Nordschleife pass.

Now for some possibly upsetting context. Ferrari built 39 250 GTOs, and £20 million won't secure one of those nowadays. You might baulk at the idea of a Japanese car being in the same paragraph as the GTO, but the concept is the same: a gentleman's racer that you can drive to and from the track, with the strong likelihood of a win in between.

Spoiler alert
Spoiler alert
The standard LFA is an awesome drive. The Nurburgring Package ramped that V10 experience up to another level. Autocar described it as "artillery shell quick in a straight line", noting that it made Desert-Island-Disc-grade noise at 9,000rpm and stopped so fast it hurt. They also found that the NP mods made the LFA easier to drive around the 'ring, which was a gratifying result for Lexus.

It's difficult to have any real idea about future LFA values: so few cars come up for sale as owners are generally too busy having fun with them. But taking everything into account, it's hard to ignore the Lexus LFA Nurburgring Package as a potential super classic of the future. Maybe it won't ever reach Ferrari values, but something rather more than a 10 per cent return on your investment isn't an unreasonable expectation.

So this one at Joe Macari's should be pricking up the ears of moneyed investors. If there was ever a time when £440,000 could be described as a bargain price for a car, this might be it.


LEXUS LFA NURBURGRING
Engine:
4,805cc V10
Transmission: 6-speed automated manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 570@8,700rpm
Torque (lb ft): 353@7,000rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: Many. Worth it
First registered: 2012
Recorded mileage: 6,300
Price new: £411,752
Yours for: £440,000

See the original advert here.

Nurburgring lap here (you'll want it loud).

 

 

Author
Discussion

mrclav

Original Poster:

1,278 posts

222 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
I like this car a to if only because of the sheer bloody-mindedness of Toyota to will it into existence. That and the amazing engine...

daveco

4,122 posts

206 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
So if Lexus decided to produce these again and gave it a bit more power and even better aero (or even more modern tyres), it would be as quick as the current batch of hypercars around a track??

Amazing car.


Amirhussain

11,486 posts

162 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
sperm

soad

32,825 posts

175 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
Guaranteed exclusivity - makes Veyron look common.


matpilch

246 posts

139 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
even more astonishing when you think they've lost money on every single one of them

Dave Hedgehog

14,541 posts

203 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
one of the best sound cars ever with just 2 problems

this one is a left hooker

i dont have 400k lol


soad

32,825 posts

175 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
matpilch said:
even more astonishing when you think they've lost money on every single one of them
Do they cost as much to service as say, Veyron?

Baryonyx

17,990 posts

158 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
These are quite easily the most desirable supercars of recent years to me. They are just superb. Doesn't a V10 make everything better?

matpilch

246 posts

139 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
soad said:
Do they cost as much to service as say, Veyron?
and how would I know that?

Deerfoot

4,897 posts

183 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
Modern supercars usually leave me cold but I'm utterly intrigued by the LFA.

It's splendid.

soad

32,825 posts

175 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
matpilch said:
soad said:
Do they cost as much to service as say, Veyron?
and how would I know that?
Lexus LFA parts catalogue, read it and weep!


Adrian W

13,848 posts

227 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
soad said:
fkyikes
15767 1576745010
PIPE, OIL COOLER 01 Ships 24-48 hrs $9291.12 $8345.39

matpilch

246 posts

139 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
soad said:
eye-watering indeed. not that it should stop anyone owning one

Steamer

13,843 posts

212 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
New crate engine reduced down to £60K

Ouch.

gigglebug

2,611 posts

121 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
soad said:
Do they cost as much to service as say, Veyron?
I'm not sure any modern car costs as much to service as a Veyron does it if you take into account how often you have to have new tyres and wheels on them but then again I'm sure that service costs are likely to be a concern if you can handle paying 440K on the car in the first place?

This would be the one for me. I like most modern cars to be honest and if I were in the position I'd be just like the lucky fella who picked up his P1, La Ferrari and 918 on the same day, I'd try and have them all! This would be the one car that I would hunt down and pay over the odds for though.

The standard car was met with scepticism when it was first released and even marked down on Topgear for being "merely a Lexus, how embarrassing!" what ever that's meant to mean? The fact that it then went to win over the most respected reviewer's is nothing short of miraculous if you ask me and show's how talented the car is. Can you imagine the fuss that would have been made if it had been a Ferrari and this good?? The Nurburgring just takes it to another level and would be my dream drive if I ever got a chance

Dale487

1,334 posts

122 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
This car has been up for sale with Joe Macari for a while - at least a month.

Evo magazine rated the standard LFA as better than the Ferrari 599GTO.

Personally I prefer the looks of the standard LFA - still a fab car.


melvster

6,841 posts

184 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
Truly amazing car, this and an NSX-R in my lotto win garage.

gigglebug

2,611 posts

121 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
Dale487 said:
This car has been up for sale with Joe Macari for a while - at least a month.

Evo magazine rated the standard LFA as better than the Ferrari 599GTO.

Personally I prefer the looks of the standard LFA - still a fab car.
Tiff loved it too. I spotted it a few weeks ago as well, It's only the second one I've seen on here the other being a black standard car which was in Singapore I believe and had a horrible two tone interior. The only thing I would change on both models is the wheel's. For some reason neither seem to suit it 100% spot on in my opinion



Edited by gigglebug on Thursday 5th February 13:10

bass2rez

558 posts

191 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
I think this car is fantastic, if only more were sold in Europe, we would have more of a chance of seeing them around.

I have only ever seen one, and that was at Goodwood. I have never seen one on the road.

If only 40 were sold to Europe, where were the other 460 sold? That's quite a lot of cars.

DanielSan

18,745 posts

166 months

Thursday 5th February 2015
quotequote all
As much as Iike a huge wing and aero type stuff, I do prefer the standard LFA, in blue please.

Now if I could just have my numbers come up tomorrow night I might be able to actually buy one, sod all hope otherwise.