Lexus

We bring you this story with a heavy heart and sad fingers on the keyboard. Toyota's chief test-driver, Hiromu Naruse, died on June 23rd on the 410 Highway near the famous Nurburgring in Germany. He was driving the recently spied Lexus LFA Nurburgring Edition, of which only 50 will be made, costing 1.5 million Euros. Naruse was driving on the two-lane highway and (for reasons still unknown) crossed the dotted line into on-coming traffic, where he collided with a BMW, also driven by factory test drivers (from BMW, of course). Both the BMW drivers survived, although one is still in critical condition.

We praise Naruse for his obvious passion and creativity. Without him we may never have seen those few yet brilliant cars Toyota has produced in the last 5 decades. He died doing what he loved and what he was seemingly born to do, and for that we pay him our highest respects.

We all know a true sports car has only 2 doors. Coupes go faster, stop quicker, corner better and generally look better (unless Mansory has gotten to it). But people usually have more than one friend. I'm sure Hannibal Lecter could find a couple of people to take out on a Friday night. Whether they all got home safely is another story. So whether you have friends, a family, or lots of stuff, a 2 door sports car won't cut it.

A sedan is the next logical step, but that doesn't mean you have to drive around in a Lithium-infused, 8 ton 4 door that's more likely to be confused with a Tempur-Pedic mattress than a sports car. The battle of sports sedans has been growing each year, with car-makers giving us more choices, better looks, beter handling and of course, better engines. Selection is great, but it can also be overwhelming. Shopping for paper towels now requires 4 pre-emptive Advil, so shopping for a sports sedan should come with an emergency vial of Vicodin. To help you out, I've made a list of the Top 5 Sports Sedans Under $100,000. Make the jump to see the list...

The April 2010 issue of Consumer Reports has dropped, and the cover story looks at the best and worst of this year’s new car, truck and SUV market. The fine folks of Consumer Reports put dozens upon dozens of vehicles through their rigorous testing regimen at their private test track in East Haddam, CT, so it’s no surprise there was far from a dearth of data to comb through when the time came to determine the picks (and runts) of this year’s litter. So which rides floated the testers’ boats?

As far as performance is concerned, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the kings or acceleration, braking and emergency lane change speed (i.e. handling) were all thoroughbred sports cars. The Dodge Viper SRT10 was tops in the acceleration category, with its cosmically-powerful 8.4L V10 flinging the car from a dead stop to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. When it came to stopping from 60, the Porsche Boxster was the champion, taking just 112 feet to come to a standstill. Finally, when it came time to turn quickly, it was another Porsche – this time the 911 Carrera S – bringing the laurels to Stuttgart. The hottest rear-drive 997 not containing “GT” in its name danced through the cones at 59.5 mph.

We all know by now that the 2011 Lexus LFA is not only fantastic looking but a beast on any race track. Many of you have seen the Top Gear LFA test drive,  official production video from Lexus has been all over the net, and various magazines and media outlets have taken a stab at driving the LFA on enclosed courses.

But what we have yet to see is the Lexus LFA supercar doing its thing on public city roads. EVO magazine has taken the opportunity to show us this and for that we are truly grateful. Check out the video after the jump.

When the buzz around the new Lexus LFA came to a boil in 2009 I only had one thought: When will Top Gear get to test it? Sure there are Nurburgring numbers, dyno tests, weight specs, building costs, etc., but Top Gear puts you inside the car. When they test a car, you learn about more than just the molecules that make the car. And they always leave an impression. I don't know many 'Ring times but I could tell you more than a handful of Power Board lap-times.When the Lexus LFA finally became available to the public, I knew it was only a matter of time.

Well Happy New Year everyone, Top Gear is starting things off on the right foot. Richard Hammond takes the helm of Japan's new $375,000 super-car. With a price that rivals Russian Space travel, I was all ears to hear what my favorite Brits had to say. And, if you don't live in a country that broadcasts the latest Top Gear, and you have a moral objection to illegally downloading automotive cinematic gospel, we have provided the clips for you. Watch below as Richard tests the newest applicant to the club of supercars and answers the big question: Is it really worth the money?

Lexus had a very engaging display this year at the 2009 SEMA Show, representing a performance-minded side that is just now starting to be truly embraced by the company. In a nice layout adjacent to the Convention Center, sitting quiety ouside, were four IS350C variations from top tuners along with one real 2011 LFA supercar making its U.S. debut (after last week's worldwide debut at the Tokyo Motor Show).

The Lexus IS has always been viewed as sort of a second-class citizen in the luxury sports car market, competing against the likes of the BMW 3-Series and the Infinity G35/37. It didn't necessarily have the fit and finish nor the chutzpah of its competitors, but with rear-wheel drive, excellent handling and a lightweight stiff chassis, it has always been a contender. Now, with the company's F-Sport line of tuning parts from the venerable TRD and the new 2011 LFA halo vehicle, Lexus has seriously upped the ante.

The floodgates are starting to let loose on video footage of the production model of the new Lexus LFA supercar. Many media outlets are starting to get a crack behind the wheel and we have put together some of the best videos available to date.

The 2011 Lexus LFA features an all-new 4.8L V10 with a lofty red line of 9,000 rpm. This powerplant delivers 552 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque. Amazingly, 90 percent of the LFA’s torque is available between 3,700 rpm and 9,000 rpm. Check out the following reels of Toyota's most expensive production vehicle ever.

The 2009 Tokyo Motor Show this week had plenty of surprises. Although many were not necessarily the production or concept cars on display. One of those curiosities was the full-size translucent Lexus LFA built by well know Japanese architect Scu Fujimoto.