Lexus “Journey of Seasoning” Nürburgring Video

As this new video from Gazoo Racing details, the famed Nürburgring track in Germany now plays a very important role in Lexus vehicle development, due to its ability to “season” the automotive character.
Kevin · November 21st, 2011

The History of the Lexus LFA

This video history of the Lexus LFA from Australian website The Motor Report is an excellent look back at the development of the Lexus supercar.
Kevin · October 17th, 2011

Hiromu Naruse on the First-Gen Lexus IS Development

Stumbled on an insightful speech given by the late Hiromu Naruse, Master Test Driver of Toyota, at a Toyota Altezza/Lexus IS 300 owners event at the Fuji Speedway in 2007 — here are some direct quotes that detail his part in the car’s development: After enhancing the rigidity, I test drove 2,000 km for two …

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Kevin · November 16th, 2010

Akio Toyoda Visits Nürburgring

Last week, Toyota President Akio Toyoda visited Germany to test-drive two Lexus LFAs at Nürburgring: As we can see, one of the LFAs is black (likely this one), and the other is a duplicate of the yellow Nürburgring edition involved in the fatal crash that took the life of Toyota Chief test driver, Hiromu Naruse. …

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Kevin · October 12th, 2010

Akio Toyoda on the Passing of Hiromu Naruse

Toyota President Akio Toyoda has shared his grief over the passing of mentor Hiromu Naruse on his blog — and even though I’m only able to read a rough Google translation, his message shows not only a deep sadness, but a strong resolve to continue on in Naruse’s spirit. Read the translated text (Original Text)
Kevin · June 24th, 2010

In Memory of Hiromu Naruse

Today, the automotive world lost an icon — Toyota’s Chief Test Driver Hiromu Naruse was killed in an accident outside of the Nürburgring racetrack while driving a Lexus LFA Nürburgring prototype. Naruse-sama was influential in the development of every production sports car produced by Toyota, from the 2000GT to the MR-S, and was so widely …

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Kevin · June 23rd, 2010

Lexus Chief Test Driver Hiromu Naruse Dies in LFA Crash

German newspaper Rhein-Zeitung is reporting that the Lexus LFA Nürburgring edition featured yesterday has been involved in a serious crash with another car. Details are still emerging and nothing has been confirmed, but it’s believed that Toyota Chief test driver Hiromu Naruse was behind the wheel, and that both the driver and passenger in the …

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Kevin · June 23rd, 2010