Lexus LFA: 12 Brand-New Unsold Units Are In US Dealerships Now
By R.
The Lexus LFA was never going to be a hot-selling supercar. But it’s genuinely surprising to learn that 12 of those are still in US dealerships.
Autoblog has dug up some interesting details on the Lexus LFA while going through the US car sales chart for July 2017. It seems one LFA was sold by a dealer in the US last month and we are talking about a car that was discontinued in 2012. Further investigation popped up the good news that there are 12 unsold LFAs in the possession of various dealers in the US. A Toyota representative has confirmed the news as well.
Emerging on the scene as a limited-production item, there was a total of 500 vehicles made (priced at $375K) including Nürburgring versions in the $400k range. Out of those, 170 made it to the US market. The LFA met a short shelf-life before being discontinued in 2012 after slowing demand. It may have been a technological achievement which proved that Lexus is more about selling rebadged Toyotas with more leather and a fancier name. But it wasn’t the “next awesome supercar to buy” for its target audience.
As Lexus’ first foray into the supercar business, it showed early promise, with an all-carbon-fiber construction using a custom loom, a 4.8-liter, 552 hp, 334 lb-ft V10 heart, a top whack of 200 mph and deceptively quick speed beyond its 3-second 0 to 60 mph time. There is even folklore of an accompanying pamphlet with detailed instructions on how to wash your car and where not to point hoses at.
Courtesy: Lexus USA Newsroom
Courtesy: Lexus USA Newsroom
Courtesy: Lexus USA Newsroom
Courtesy: Lexus USA Newsroom
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Now, its random resurgence into auto lots is easy to explain. Classified as “dealers inventory”, these car ended up with dealers when Lexus had discovered that the LFA won’t be a smash hit as they had counted on it to be. Its noble plans to take purchase orders from customers and then deliver the car didn’t work out as good as it intended to. So Lexus relaxed its grip and started encouraging second car orders for existing clients and even prompted dealers and execs to buy the LFA.
Many dealers took the opportunity and that’s how we have these unsold copies out there. But is it possible to walk in with cash and drive off in one of those? Hmm… that’s not going to be as easy as it sounds, even if you have a few hundred thousand dollars to spare.
The remaining vehicles are likely not intended for resale, but for display or investment purposes until it eventually hits collector’s item pricing. So you may have to wait a bit more and save a bit more before going LFA shopping.
Next: The Lexus LFA Is One Of The Best Sounding Supercars
Kind of reminds us of that 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR which sold for $138k on eBay. And that car was brand-new too, with barely 9 miles on the clock. Dealers are getting smarter these days.
Source: Autoblog