The Lexus LFA was impressive when it first debuted, but the Toyota engineering department wasn’t finished improving the car. A track-focused variant also came out called the Nurburgring. It quickly proved to offer a higher level of performance compared to the standard LFA.

What Made the Lexus LFA Special?

The Lexus LFA featured a 4.8-liter V10 engine that made 552 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque. It had a top speed of 202 mph and could zoom from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. Toyota worked at keeping the weight of the car down by making a compact V10 engine that weighed less than a regular V8.

The car itself weighed 3,262 pounds and used a carbon fiber reinforced plastic chassis. This allowed it to shave off about 220 pounds of weight compared to a regular chassis. The V10 was paired with a rear-mounted six-speed sequential gearbox and used a race-tuned suspension with a special brake package. The LFA was quickly hailed as a nearly perfect supercar, and only 500 models were made, so finding one at your Lexus dealer could be a challenge.

The LFA Nurburgring Upped the Ante

Shortly after the normal version of the LFA was released, the Nurburgring edition was made available. Most of the underpinnings stayed the same, but the Nurburgring had some key changes that made it even more effective on racetracks. The engine output was slightly higher at 570 horsepower. The Nurburgring also included a new aero package constructed in the same way as the chassis.

A new suspension setup included stiffer springs to make it more responsive, while the center of gravity was enhanced by lowering the ride height by 0.3 inches. The extra equipment made the LFA Nurburgring a production car to reckon with. It posted a record lap speed at the track that influenced its name.

Buyers of the LFA Nurburgring snagged a year’s pass to the Nordschleife to enjoy the car where it was meant to be enjoyed. This included an instructor’s fee to be shown how to drive the circuit. All this came at a pretty hefty price of $445,000 for the privilege of owning a Lexus LFA Nurburgring.

Current Values Remain Strong

Ultimately, 62 models of the LFA Nurburgring Edition were sold, making it one of the rarest cars Lexus has ever offered. If you’re looking for one of these cars now, the values have not only stayed strong but increased quite a lot over the original price. According to Classic.com, the average sale price of the Nurburgring today is over $1.7 million. This is about four times higher than the original price.

The most expensive model sold so far was a bright orange car that commanded a price of $1.875 million through RM Sotheby’s in 2023. Believe it or not, Toyota may be working on a successor to the LFA. This new model is likely to be called the LFR and will feature a twin-turbo V8 and some type of hybrid system. The combined power output is likely to be around 900 horsepower.