Nobody Wants to Buy This Chrome LFA

Shining and Chrome: This LFA halo-car can be yours if you happen to have $1.1m burning a hole in your wallet.

Among Japanese vehicles, it’s hard to find a car less subtle than a Lexus LFA. With a howling V10 and sharp angled lines, the supercar defined Lexus’s pinnacle since 2011. Despite taking full decade to sell all 500 cars, it’s one of the hottest collector cars on the market today. In fact, it’s routine to see low-mile LFAs sell in excess of $800,000, double that for a Nürburgring Edition. And they tend to sell pretty quickly… unless we’re talking about this chrome LFA. currently for sale in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Which has been sitting on the market since, at least, April of 2020.

How could this be, you ask? Well, if the (presumably removable) chrome wrap isn’t enough to dissuade potential buyers, we’d venture the €1,049,600 price tag, which includes a 19% VAT, is the nail in the coffin. Despite only having (roughly) 541 miles on the odometer, the chrome LFA appears to be priced about two hundred grand too high, based on the market here in 2022. Which would have made the price in 2020 seem even worse.

Built to Stand Out

The Lexus LFA is certainly one of the finest vehicles to leave Japan since the 2000GT. And like the 2000GT, the LFA features a collaboration between Toyota and Yamaha, alongside a host of other bragging rights. From its striking looks to its exquisite engine note, the LFA’s highly praised the world over for its volatile but refined personality. However, even by LFA standards, this particular example certainly sets itself apart from the rest on several levels. (#ShinyAndChrome)

Once upon a time, auto-makers used chrome to accent the lines of the car to make them stand out. Chrome bumpers, trim pieces, interior bits, you name it. But when it comes to distinctiveness, the LFA’s already got you covered without chrome. That said, if there’s a class of vehicle that benefits most from such a wrap, it’s the handmade supercar.

Alongside this incredibly distinctive exterior lies a vivid, tasteful red leather interior. Like all LFAs, the inside features hand-fitted and measured padding and upholstery. This particular example opts for a two-tone black to complement the standard red, with black carpeting and seats.

Part of the appeal of owning an LFA – or, indeed, any handmade supercar, is that each one is bespoke to the owner. And like all handmade vehicles, some offer more unique experiences than others. In the case of this LFA, it’s apparently a bit too unique for its own good. Coupled with a price tag putting it on par with the rarest editions of LFA, this particular example isn’t likely to see the light of day anytime soon… At least until the market catches up with this pricing.

The original MSRP for the Nürburgring Edition sat at $445,000 – $465,000 depending on paint and options. As recently as last year, one such edition sold for over 3 times the sticker price, proving that such cars do hold their value very well. However, even excellently-kept standard LFAs rarely command seven figures. If there’s one thing the LFA’s known for, it’s for being an anomaly. And this particular LFA certainly fulfills those criteria.

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M.C. Cuccio

I've been an automotive aficionado since I had baby teeth. My path was set when I first leaned on my grandfather's classic Porsche as I learned how to walk. One of my first memories was my mother sitting me behind the wheel of her Pontiac and talking me through the instrumentation and controls. Even though I was a mere three or four years old, I was instantly sold, and filled notebooks with technical drawings, sketches, and collections of manuals of all sorts of cars. I've actively tracked developments in automotive and motorsport technology for well over 20 years, and pride myself on being intimately familiar with the functions and history of a wide range of vehicles.

My primary goal as a writer and enthusiast is to equally learn and share what I've learned in a constructive and interesting way. I maintain connections with people from around the world and can read technical manuals in Italian, Japanese, and Spanish, granting me access to a wide array of resources. My primary focuses are deep-dives into historical topics, motorsport discussion, and learning about the complex mechanical elements of such vehicles. As such, my research is never perfect; as anyone into cars will attest, the more you learn about cars, the more you realize how little you actually know. Therefore, I always welcome fresh knowledge and corrections to help me better my work in the future.