Toyota and Lexus opened a new production facility specifically for the LFA, building it largely out of cost-intensive but lightweight carbon fiber – something it had little experience in doing. But in case that wasn't enough, it also designed a new V10 engine for it – something that had only been done so far by a handful of manufacturers like Lamborghini (for the Gallardo), BMW (for the previous M5 and M6) and Chrysler (for the Viper).

Unfortunately the rising value of the yen made the LFA an expensive proposition indeed, jacking the price up to $375,000 and still Lexus was estimated to be losing money on each one sold. Still, it fulfilled each of the 500 orders it took, with the last one rolling off the assembly line just recently.

Rumors were afoot that Lexus would follow up with an additional run of 500 convertible versions, but the strength of Japan's currency has left that prospect all but completely out of the question.

And so we bid farewell with a tear in our eye to one of the most advanced exotic supercars ever made in Japan, or anywhere else for that matter. Goodbye, LFA. We hardly knew ye.