The Lexus LFA was discontinued back in 2012, and although it was a fantastic car in nearly every way, its demise was not exactly a surprise.
The LFA’s production life was short (only 500 vehicles were made) and each unit was built to the specifications of a particular customer. That meant an extremely expensive construction process, one that the weighty base price of $375,000 could only hope to cover.
In addition, just days before the LFA was to be put together, Lexus famously decided to redesign the LFA’s body in carbon fiber instead of aluminum.
In retrospect, the Lexus LFA was more of an exercise in brand building than a spearhead into the supercar market, but it was a successful one.
The LFA was lauded for its control, precision, and build quality, and Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson once said, “It is the best car I have ever driven. If someone gave me a choice of selecting one car, I would have a blue Lexus LFA. That is how much I love this car.”
The LFA just wasn’t realistic for Toyota to build at the time. Perhaps it was just too good. Still, as the rumor mill swirled, fans hotly anticipated a new generation of the fantastic LFA. It just doesn’t look like it’s not going to happen.
Related: First Drive: 2015 Lexus RC F and RC 350
Car Advice recently interviewed Yukihiko Yaguchi, the chief engineer for the upcoming RC F who also worked on the LFA and IS F. He said the “LFA was certainly a special sports car for us to build as well, but we don’t have any plans right now [for a replacement].”
With the IS F getting the axe as well, it’s up the to V8-powered, $65,000-ish RC F to take the reigns as Lexus’ sportiest vehicle. The RC F houses a 467-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8 and arrives this fall.
