Toyota's Chief Test Driver Believed Dead in LF-A Crash

[FoolKiller]

There isn't 100% confirmation, but there are images of the crashed LFA Nurburgring Edition.

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

We don't have much in the way of details yet, but according to a report out of Germany, Toyota's chief test driver has died in a crash on highway 410 near the Nurburgring after veering into the oncoming lane and colliding with two others test drivers driving a BMW.

While the two BMW test drivers survived the crash, the yet-unnamed Toyota driver died behind the wheel of the recently spied LFA Nurburgring Edition he was driving.

The report says that the driver of the LF-A was 67 years old and Toyota's chief test driver, which leads us to believe that he is Hiromu Naruse, In addition to being the company's chief test driver, Naruse is also Akio Toyoda's personal driver and the Godfather of the LFA.

More information should be forthcoming.

UPDATE: The two drivers in the BMW sustained lift-threatening injuries and one is in critical condition.
UPDATE 2: Video of the scene added after the jump.
UPDATE 3: Spiegel is confirming that Naruse was the driver.

This could be a very sad day for the automotive world.

 

[Jay]

Very sad to hear and nice to hear the BMW drivers should be fine.

Atleast there is a small upside, Toyota will get data on how to make the LF-A for future customers so his death wont be in vein.

 

[RouWa]

Who caused the crash?

 

[CTznOfTime]

From the image above...

It looks to me that the Toyota, for X reasons, was occupying the wrong side of the road...

Being a left curve, neither cars, coming from opposite directions, saw each other until the last moment.

No preventive moves could be made, and thus sadness for Toyota...

Dying in his creation, what irony... but a beautiful tragedy...

Hope that the two BMW test drivers get out alive of this ordeal.

 

[PAPPACLART]

It's weird, both cars don't look too messed up so I am suprised one has died and 2 others are in a serious condition, one critical.

R.I.P