VFACTS June 2023: Last V10-powered Lexus LFA supercar sold in Australia

The last example of the legendary Lexus LFA supercar in Australia was reported as sold last month – despite being more than 10 years old.

According to data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries released yesterday, a single Lexus LFA was reported as sold in June 2023 – despite being formally on sale locally for only two years, in 2011 and 2012.

The decade-old vehicle on the new-car sales scoreboard suddenly appeared after the Toyota dealer who owns it was obliged to report it as sold – even though it is still sitting in a showroom as a display piece in brand-new condition, and has not been delivered to a customer.

Although it is only one vehicle, it is an example of how official new-car sales data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries can be gamed – and is not necessarily a reflection of customer deliveries.

A more common example of car companies gaming the sales tally system: declaring a shipment of cars as sold and reporting them in VFACTS as delivered vehicles, even if the car doesn’t have a customer name against it and the registration plates are sitting in the boot while the dealership waits for a real buyer.

A spokesperson for Lexus told Drive the vehicle – which is owned by a dealer – has not been sold.

Instead, the vehicle was reported as sold last month to meet the 1 July 2023 deadline of the transition between the old Motor Vehicle Standards Act (which dates back to 1989) and the new Road Vehicle Standards Act, which are the laws that govern the importing, approval and registration of cars in Australia.

The Lexus LFA was reported as sold so it could be added to the Register of Approved Vehicles (RAV), which is a database of vehicle details that can be registered for road use. 

If this deadline was not met, there would be a risk the Lexus LFA in question would not be able to be legally registered in Australia. 

Produced between 2011 and 2012, only 500 examples of the Lexus LFA supercar were produced globally. And of those, only 10 were delivered to Australia. 

The Lexus LFA was priced from $700,000 before on-road costs locally when it was new, however examples have increased in value significantly in recent years.

One white example sold on Collecting Cars for $US781,800 ($AU1.16 million) in 2021, while another example (in Sunset Orange) sold on another US site Bring A Trailer for $US830,000 ($AU1.24 million) in May 2023.

The Lexus LFA was powered by a ‘1LR-GUE’ 4.8-litre V10, which was developed by Toyota and Yamaha and was only used in the LFA. It developed 412kW @ 8700rpm and 480Nm @ 6800rpm, with a fuel cutoff at 9500rpm.

The free-revving nature of the V10 – which has gained a legendary status among enthusiasts – is able to rev from idle to 9000rpm in as little as 0.6 seconds, with Lexus claiming at the time there was no analogue tachometer available that could keep pace with the V10. 

The engine ran through a rear-mounted six-speed single-clutch automatic transaxle, with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 3.7 seconds.

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