I know a lot of you have seen the Lexus LF-A that appeared on Copart in the last few days. With unwrecked examples going for $1 million plus on other sites, this will be a chance to get one for much less. However, since there’s quite a bit of frame and carbon fiber damage on the car, it’s likely to cost a pretty penny to get it back sitting pretty in someone’s museum. For the right person though, this could be a way to get one of the best modern-day supercars to daily drive without the fear of too much additional depreciation from racking up miles. And with so much damage to the car, you could easily justify making the car your own by changing the color or adding the Nürburgring package to it. And that’s exactly why…
…I’d rip out the drivetrain and swap it to another car.
Sounds like blasphemy, right? Well, for the purest of purists, that’s probably right. What better thing to do than to restore this limited-edition supercar with one of the best soundtracks ever and keep it as long as you can? Well, I’m definitely not that much of a purist. About the only line I really have a hard time crossing is swapping between manufacturers (think LS-swapping an RX-7). I can absolutely respect a clean build no matter what car and engine combination you’ve got going on. Even this K-Swapped Porsche 911 is cool it’s its own way. But that’s just not me. I like to see the potential inside a manufacturer’s offerings and am always “bench-building” (not my term but it’s accurate) Frankenstein creations that are the best combination that each manufacturer can offer.
And with that, here are my top 5 cars that I’d swap the holy grail LF-A drivetrain into.
5) Toyota 2000GT…Replica
Now I’m already sacrificing the repair of the LFA. You don’t actually think I’d take a real 2000GT and swap the 1LR in right? I’m sure I’d get assassinated for that by somebody. Never mind trying to find one for sale and then ponying up around $1,000,000 before any taxes for it. A replica or a recreation makes much more sense. Rocky Auto’s 3000GT recreation seems like a great starting point, but I’d likely get a tribute made from the A90 Supra that has some aero upgrades. This way the car has a registerable VIN and modern components, most of which could be easily replaced. Would make for quite the weekend car…
4) Toyota Chaser JZX100
We’re starting to see many more of these come stateside since we’ve moved past the 25-year rule for this car. Being a larger car, there should be plenty of room to swap in the 1LR-GUE without much issue. Some wheels, fender flares, and a valved exhaust could keep this a sleeper until you’re ready to do some burnouts at your local car meet. Or maybe an angle kit and a wing and make it one of the best-sounding drift cars ever! I’m personally a fan of the Kazama Promode-SS aero package that touches almost all of the external body panels. Add in a carbon ducktail spoiler and I’d be ready to ride around from gas station to gas station. You know…since I’m revving the engine every chance I get to hear that wonderful exhaust note.
3) The 86/FR-S twins
The Toyota GT86/GR86/FR-S sports car has had almost every conceivable swap done to it already – even a 1GZ-FE V12 with 4 turbos! So there’s no question that this would be on my list. A lightweight sports car with a wailing V10 engine out front and a manual (or even the automated manual transaxle) behind it would make for quite the commute or track day event. Leaving it stock with some wheels would make it kind of a sleeper – at least until you turn it on! Personally, I love me some widebodies, so a GR86 with an ADRO widebody just seems to go with this level of swap. I would take it to every track day I could and have people begging for me to pop the hood in answer to the question, “What do you have in that thing?”
2) Toyota Supra
The Supra is the car that got me into cars. So of course it needs to be high on the list of cars that could get this swap. I like at least one version of all of the Supra from the A60 Celica Supra to the A90 GR Supra. I’ve even had two A70 Supras myself. For this list though, it has to be the A80 Supra that gets the swap. TRD 3000GT replica widebody, Heritage Tsukuba 3 spoke wheels, sitting on KW suspension and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires should do the trick. All black with some titanium accents and a titanium exhaust that lets the V10 scream would basically be perfect! The best-looking car Toyota made until the…
1) Lexus LC 500
This is the one. The car that’s the perfect swap for this engine. I’m sure it’s an unpopular opinion, but this car looks WAY better than the LF-A. And that’s not a diss – the LF-A looks good. But the LC 500 is beautiful. It has the right curves in the right places. I even like the 2UR V8 that’s under the hood. But imagine, if you will: a sleek Artisan Spirits widebody kit with the spoiler, Work Emotion 2 piece wheels, and RS-R coilovers. The perfect body to match the perfect engine, floating down the highway at Autobahn speeds with one of the best engine sounds ever in your ears. Call it Project LC-F. One can dream…
So, what’s your answer to the “what would you do with the Copart LF-A” question? If you were able to afford it, and you won the impending auction, would you restore it, bringing it back to its former glory? Or maybe restomod it using modifying it beyond what Toyota imagined for its halo supercar? Or would you make a weapon out of another car using one of the best sounding engines ever created? Comment below and let me know what you’d do. Until next time…
