The long version

Toyota built exactly 500 of these and reportedly lost money on every one, which told the first buyers everything about future value before they'd even taken delivery — this was a collector car from the invoice forward, not something that drifted into garage-queen status later. The single-clutch automated gearbox that testers criticized at launch gave owners another reason to treat it gently rather than explore the redline, reinforcing a habit the rarity was already encouraging. Values have climbed nearly threefold since new, and the ownership pattern reflects a car bought to be owned as much as driven, maybe more.