[Si]

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/23/breaking-toyota-chief-test-driver-dies-lf-a-germany-ring/

According to reports, Toyota's chief test driver, 67-year-old Hiromu Naruse, has died in a crash on highway 410 near the famed Nürburgring race track in Germany. He was driving the recently spied Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition (above) at the time of the accident, and reports say he veered into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with two others test drivers in a BMW. The two BMW test drivers survived the crash, though one is reportedly still in critical condition. German video of the crash scene after the accident took place can be viewed below. Police are investigating the crash and have yet to determine its cause.

Naruse was heavily involved with the development of the Lexus LFA supercar he was driving, along with many other past sports cars from Toyota's history since he joined the company in 1963. Enthusiasts today call him the "Godfather of the LFA," though he was involved in the development of sports cars for Toyota going as far back as the storied 2000GT from the late 1960s. The prototype of a special edition version of the LFA that he was driving when the accident occurred was reportedly worth 1.5 million euro.

[CP.AR]

ouch... RIP :(

[jpark]

wow...

[AWDTurboLuvr]

My condolences to the Naruse family and everyone involved. At least he was able to see his dream car come to fruition.

[satek]

:(

[Not really racist!]

RIP

at least he died doin what he loves

[OhSoGood]

doesn't the wing only go up when it goes pass a certain MPH?

[jtanner_]

RIP...

[Phil@rise]

so sad

[CorneringArtist]

RIP...reading the link it says that he was also the personal driver of the president of Toyota.

[Minata]

the lfa did not kill the test driver. speed most likely did.

[Si]

the lfa did not kill the test driver. speed most likely did.

Noted; guess I can't change the thread title.


RIP

[orange7]

the speed did not kill the test driver. stopping quickly most likely did.

[fliptuner]

Pretty eerie when you see a hearse at a crash scene.

[Gumby]

Ohh crap... RIP. Wonder why he veered into the oncoming lane?

[Mugen EvOlutioN]

ohh shit

[dinamix]

Ohh crap... RIP. Wonder why he veered into the oncoming lane?

floormat got stuck to the pedal

[tofu1413]

wow..

he died while doing something he loves the most...

RIP dude.

new edition of LFA out already..? even sooner than the Spec V GTR in japan

[- kT]

doesn't the wing only go up when it goes pass a certain MPH?

on the regular LFA it does, but he was driving a Nurburgring edition, and if you look at the wing, it looks like it's just a stationary wing

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/2012lexuslfanurburgringedition003.jpg

i'm guessing something happened behind the scenes (ie - he wasn't feeling up to weather) cause if he was Toyota's chief test driver, he had to be a hell of a good driver

[tofu1413]

that color is awful lot like that farenheit (sp?) edition GTI orange...

[sonick]

floormat got stuck to the pedal

I was wondering how many posts it would take to get to this comment.

[dinamix]

http://blog.roadandtrack.com/wp-content/uploads/LFA-rear-440x314.jpg

[Jegz]

RIP LFA..:(

[tonyvu]

fuck.... thats too badd

RIP

[ws6ta]

RIP

the two guys in the bmw survived. Its probably because he was old (67) but does say something about the safety of bmws as well.

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/1184/lfacrashcap630op.jpg

[Tegra_Devil]

the lfa did not kill the test driver. speed most likely did.

actually running into the BMW probably did.....;)


rip :(

[JoshuaWong]

RIP...:(

[Datsun]

His resume:

http://gazoo.com/racing/english/vol_01/page04.asp

[!Aznboi128]

damn... rip

[Peturbo]

RIP... He was involved in the development of toyotas best cars.

[greendb7]

Such a shame.
great career and it ended in such a sad way
RIP

[optiblue]

RIP :(

[JSALES]

RIP

[Vale46Rossi]

RIP...


Toyota Break Paddle got stuck?

[S60R]

RIP...


Toyota Break Paddle got stuck?

its brake u dumbass:rofl:

[Tegra_Devil]

once again....bmw drivers are assholes for getting in the way of the LFA.....the LFA is a more dominant car, hence, when it swerved into oncoming traffic, the BMW should have ditched itself out of respect for the LFA!

[hal0g0dv2]

rip
lfa is fucked

[EmperorIS]

RIP
damn toyota ... can things get any worse for you

[PiuYi]

why does crash scene look like the cars were just put there totaled already? like theres no tire marks, the railings look untouched....

but anyway, RIP, he prbly had a heart attack or sth right before the crash, or a stroke, causing him to lose control of the LFA

[Tegra_Devil]

why does crash scene look like the cars were just put there totaled already? like theres no tire marks, the railings look untouched....

but anyway, RIP, he prbly had a heart attack or sth right before the crash, or a stroke, causing him to lose control of the LFA

he is with gary coleman, kirk cobain, and MJ on a secret tropical island

[FerrariEnzo]

isnt it a one way track?

[monkeywrench]

RIP to the chief test driver, the godfather to many enthusiasts.. such a sad way to leave..

[insomniac]

rip
lfa is fucked

+1 && RIP

[snowball]

isnt it a one way track?

"in a crash on highway 410 near the famed Nürburgring race track in Germany."

[twitchyzero]

RIP
he had one hell of a career and will definately leave a legacy

[FerrariEnzo]

"in a crash on highway 410 near the famed Nürburgring race track in Germany."

ohh.. my bad.. must of missed that part

[- kT]

that color is awful lot like that farenheit (sp?) edition GTI orange...

now that you mention it, you're right
in the real photos though (the crash photos) the car looks more yellow

[adc]

on a side note, that is one sick looking car.

[StylinRed]

Crash Testing? :troll:






he swerved into oncoming traffic @67 maybe he had a heart attack or stroke?

rip to him

and gl to the bmw guys

[PiuYi]

^too soon too soon....

[Evolutionian]

:(

poor man

RIP.

[TRD Rs200]

ouch, RIP

[Nightwalker]

LFA is inanimate object.

[thumper]

just looking at the pic posted on the last page... is it normal for the side curtain airbags to deploy in an offset crash like this?

[97ITR]

just looking at the pic posted on the last page... is it normal for the side curtain airbags to deploy in an offset crash like this?

Judging by the force of the impact, I wouldn't be surprised if the contents of the driver's colon deployed.

[SkinnyPupp]

God damn what's with the stupid wording of the thread title. The car did not kill the man, he crashed while driving it.

Fixed

[nosaj]

isnt it a one way track?

lol wut.

so ur saying the two bmw guys were dumb enough to fucking drive on the wrong way??

or are u saying bmw guys were testing the car in some strange way?:rolleyes:

[97ITR]

lol wut.

so ur saying the two bmw guys were dumb enough to fucking drive on the wrong way??

or are u saying bmw guys were testing the car in some strange way?:rolleyes:

The crash wasn't on the Ring, they were driving it to the track.

[nosaj]

^exactly....and u should have quoted FerrariEnzo, not me

[Purely]

RIP

[Mkhun]

RIP

[LiquidTurbo]

How does one of the worlds best drivers get into an accident like this? I wonder is there is any more to the story than just.. "It was an accident.."
RIP