# LFA claims its first victim

**URL:** <https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897>\
**Category:** Shift518 Automotive\
**Created:** [June 23, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897 "2010-06-23T23:52:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![LKSi](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/lksi/32/6316_2.png) [@LKSi](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LKSi)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/1 "2010-06-23T23:52:46Z")

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> **[BREAKING: Toyota's chief test driver dies behind wheel of LFA in Germany](https://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/23/breaking-toyota-chief-test-driver-dies-lf-a-germany-ring/)**
>
> Click above to view the video after the jump

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**Author:** ![TurboTravis](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/turbotravis/32/6406_2.png) [@TurboTravis](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/TurboTravis)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/2 "2010-06-23T23:56:14Z")

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RIP good sir.

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**Author:** ![JClark](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jclark/32/6309_2.png) [@JClark](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JClark)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:14am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/3 "2010-06-24T06:14:33Z")

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Replies include:

Did his throttle stick?

and

OMG THERE ARE SUCH BETTER CARS FOR THE MONEY OMG

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**Author:** ![Wayne64SS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/wayne64ss/32/6365_2.png) [@Wayne64SS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Wayne64SS)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:31am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/4 "2010-06-24T06:31:28Z")

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uuuugh. sucks.

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**Author:** ![SRS\_BZNS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/srs_bzns/32/6375_2.png) [@SRS\_BZNS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/SRS_BZNS)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:38am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/5 "2010-06-24T06:38:11Z")

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Looking at the accident on the video the crash really doesnt look that bad. I don’t understand how he died. you can even see the airbag deployed

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**Author:** ![Ender](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ender/32/6367_2.png) [@Ender](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Ender)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 7:31am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/6 "2010-06-24T07:31:18Z")

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it says he was 67, that could have been a factor.

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**Author:** ![RocketPunch](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/rocketpunch/32/6429_2.png) [@RocketPunch](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RocketPunch)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 8:06am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/7 "2010-06-24T08:06:24Z")

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Sorry to hear.

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**Author:** ![slwrthnu](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/slwrthnu/32/6296_2.png) [@slwrthnu](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/slwrthnu)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 9:47am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/8 "2010-06-24T09:47:25Z")

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sad. and i wouldn’t be suprised if age did factor in.

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**Author:** ![maxwell](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/maxwell/32/6524_2.png) [@maxwell](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/maxwell)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 9:59am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/9 "2010-06-24T09:59:46Z")

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> [@How does one measure wealth](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-does-one-measure-wealth/32801/69):
>
> it says he was 67, that could have been a factor.

The two drivers in the BMW also suffered life threatening injuries. I mean fuck, a head on collision can and will do that.

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**Author:** ![Ender](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ender/32/6367_2.png) [@Ender](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Ender)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 11:37am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/10 "2010-06-24T11:37:10Z")

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yea of course, but he died and they didnt… probably because he was 67

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**Author:** ![NickAlero](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/nickalero/32/6440_2.png) [@NickAlero](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/NickAlero)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 11:58am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/11 "2010-06-24T11:58:42Z")

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> [@How does one measure wealth](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-does-one-measure-wealth/32801/69):
>
> it says he was 67, that could have been a factor.

Absolutely

RIP man.

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**Author:** ![94Gt5.0](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/94gt5.0/32/6377_2.png) [@94Gt5.0](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/94Gt5.0)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 12:05pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/12 "2010-06-24T12:05:38Z")

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Told you this car sucks.

RIP

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**Author:** ![Alpine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@Alpine](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Alpine)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 12:19pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/13 "2010-06-24T12:19:51Z")

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He probably had a heart attack when he was driving or something, because a chief test driver wouldn’t just veer into oncoming traffic for no reason.

[RIP]

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**Author:** ![Hooked\_on\_240](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Hooked\_on\_240](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Hooked_on_240)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 12:33pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/14 "2010-06-24T12:33:31Z")

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Dibs on wheels

> [@FS: HIDN PWR - Turbo Cavalier](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/fs-hidn-pwr-turbo-cavalier/31767/34):
>
> Told you this car sucks.

:lol—\>pretty hard

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**Author:** ![Ilya](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ilya/32/6404_2.png) [@Ilya](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Ilya)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 12:38pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/15 "2010-06-24T12:38:00Z")

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> [@Along hte lines of loose change....Zeitgeist](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/along-hte-lines-of-loose-change-zeitgeist/32964/5):
>
> He probably had a heart attack when he was driving or something, because a chief test driver wouldn’t just veer into oncoming traffic for no reason.
> 
> [RIP]

That’s what I was thinking.

Regardless, sad story.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cazwrx187](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/cazwrx187/32/6388_2.png) [@cazwrx187](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/cazwrx187)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/16 "2010-06-24T15:03:29Z")

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Damn, what a loss. He had his hand in everything performance oriented that Toyota produced since the 60’s.

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**Author:** ![Code\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ea924/32.png) [@Code\_Blue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Code_Blue)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/17 "2010-06-24T15:07:24Z")

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RIP.

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**Author:** ![JClark](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jclark/32/6309_2.png) [@JClark](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JClark)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/18 "2010-06-24T16:17:04Z")

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Lol you guys think 67 is like a crippled, feeble, senile, old man.

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**Author:** ![cazwrx187](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/cazwrx187/32/6388_2.png) [@cazwrx187](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/cazwrx187)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/19 "2010-06-24T18:35:51Z")

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> [@Motorcycle chase, v.City of Tonawanda (7/25/2007)](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/motorcycle-chase-v-city-of-tonawanda-7-25-2007/32965/10):
>
> Lol you guys think 67 is like a crippled, feeble, senile, old man.

My dad is 64. Looks 50.

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**Author:** ![Hooked\_on\_240](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Hooked\_on\_240](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Hooked_on_240)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/lfa-claims-its-first-victim/252897/20 "2010-06-24T20:50:17Z")

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A little about Mr.Naruse:  
He was the chief testing driver for Toyota’s Development team who started with the company in 1963. He was the head of over 300 test drivers at Toyota globally, and has possibly logged more miles than any other test driver from Japan.

Not too long after his start of career at Toyota, we was assinged a task as the … See Morefirst project leader for Toyota’s racing programs, which later branched and branded as TRD. His first mission was the team project to race at the Spa Franchamps, and Nurburgring from a base in Switzerland in 1970’s.

Also, as one of the few who people accredited as Nur-Meister, he was among the handful of drivers in the world, intimately familiar with the famous Nurburgring course in Germany where the ultimate benchmark performance is gauged among all automobile manufacturers in the world.

A very few men could do so much to analyze a pre-production street car…and even more rare for someone from Japan. Abilities such as isolating each components as minute as consistencies of rubber bushings in isolated particular areas, determining tire behavior and details of construction on 30 or more levels, and just simply being totally at one with a car to be tuned before production.

Testing engineer of equally long career at Ferrari and BMW both claimed him as “The man with the longest logged distance as vehicle testing engineer” As such, worked diligently day after day, being passionate about his automobiles.

Many of his assistant drivers and engineers often claimed him as crazy, for being such a perfectionist, and to not stop on any development until he was forced to by other departments…

List of cars he has ‘tuned’ as the leader of testing engineer/driver for product development are as follows:

1965 Toyota Sports 800  
1967 Toyota Corona 1600GT  
1967 Toyota 2000GT  
1970 Toyota Seven (race car)  
1971 Toyota Celica GT (and all succeeding Celica and XX/ Supra, and WRC Corolla/Celica)  
1981 Toyota Soarer (and all successor Z chassis)  
1984 Toyota Corolla Levin, Sprinter Trueno (AE86)  
1985 Toyota MR2 (and all successors of the W platform)  
1989 Lexus LS400  
1990 Toyota Soarer/Lexus SC300  
1994 Toyota Supra JZA80  
1998 Toyota Altezza/ Lexus IS200/300  
1999 Toyota MR-S (USA MR2 ZZW30)  
2004 Toyota Prius 2

Also, adviser to countless other Toyota and Lexus development programs.

We will all miss him.

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