An accident, on local roads near the Nurburgring, has claimed the life of legedary Toyota chief test engineer / driver, Hiromu Naruse.

While details are limited, the 67-year old was piloting a Lexus LFA Nurburgring Edition when it crashed into a BMW 5-Series prototype. Both cars were traveling in an area with a speed limit of 100 km/h (62 mph), but the crash was violent enough that Naruse's body had be pulled from the wreckage with the 'Jaws of Life' (aka rescue scissors). Two test drivers, age 34 and 33 years old, in the BMW were also injured, with one in critical condition.

Naruse started his career with Toyota in 1963, when he joined the Vehicle Evaluation and Engineering Division. Over the years, he played in important role in developing the Toyota 2000GT and the Lexus LFA.

worldcarfans.com


Sorry wrong place and already posted...

 

wow that's crazy

RIP

 

Wow, that is extremely sad to hear! When someone has been with a company for so long.

That would be the equivalent of Balboni is to Lambo.

 

: O

 

Tragic. A damn shame.

 

Does this mean BMW is safer than Lexus?

 

repost.
https://teamspeed.com/forums/japanes...a-germany.html

 

RIP- sad day.. =/
Not trying to be rude or anything.. but you can do all the safety tests you want in a testing enviroment, but nothing means more than an accident in real life. When a life is taken, this HAS to be the time when Lexus needs to think through this more efficiently. This might be a wake up call for Lexus's automotive safety department and might leave an impact on possibly taking one step back and thinking "what can we do to make this safer, and a better driving experience?".
Well, sad day definitely and my hopes and prayers go to his family.