Toyota's chief test driver dies behind wheel of LFA in Germany

MRS-ZZW30

Spectator
looks like one less LFA in the world, RIP Hiromu Naruse

lfa-crash-cap-630op.jpg


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."
 
i was thinking the same thing.... meaning on a head on collision the bmw was better than toyota..:ugh:

Look at the plethora of airbags in the bmw...the LFA looks like it either had no airbags, or they never deployed. I wouldn't be surprised if the airbags were removed to save weight or something, but they should have been using the HAN system if that was the case. I'm guessing they (the LFA had a passenger too which autoblog doesn't seem to be posting about) were not and they died from neck injury. The car seems to have absorbed the collision fairly well but damn.
 
Bmw 1
Toyota 0

Not a shock though. And kinda funny you can't depend on a 400k car to not get you killed yet the BMW did.
 
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