Prototype

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.

Once a year, the Goodwood Festival of Speed rolls around to showcase some of the most diverse cars in motorsports. The 2009 event, like all others, takes place just outside the Goodwood House in the UK from July 3rd to 5th. Special vehicles from many of the top auto manufacturers will be in attendance. This year, the 2010 Jaguar XKR Prototype, code name "Goodwood Special' will make its debut. This one-off variation of the company's super fast XFR will be even quicker than before.