The very exclusive $375,000.00 Lexus LF-A sports car. Image Credit: Autoweek via Toyota Motor CorporationLexus-Toyota Safety: When a Million Dollars an hour is not enough!
(Commentary from The Motorsports Report - Lexus is owned by Toyota - from a report in Autoweek)
Hiromu Naruse, the chief test driver for the Lexus LF-A sports car, was killed on Wednesday in a crash on a public road near the famed Nürburgring where a prototype of a special Nürburgring edition of the car has been undergoing testing.
The 67-year-old Naruse apparently collided with a test car driven by two BMW test drivers outside the 'Ring. The BMW drivers were injured, with one reported to be in critical condition, but are expected to survive.
The LF-A supercar was revealed in production trim at the 2009 Tokyo motor show and is expected to go into production late this year as a 2012 model. The company plans to build just 500 copies of the $375,000 cars over a 24-month period. The $70,000 Nürburgring option will be offered on 50 cars, featuring a 562-hp version of the car's 4.8-liter V10 and other exclusive features.
Reference Here>>
Toyota chief test driver, Hiromu Naruse, the Godfather (creator) of the LFA and personal driver to Akio Toyoda, Toyota’s President, dies in a crash behind the wheel of a Nurburgring Edition Lexus LF-A prototype. Image Credit: AutoBlog via Rhein-Wied, Rhein-Zeitung, SpiegelEditor’s Note: Toyota has come out with an Ad campaign this month that claims it spends, “A Million Dollars an Hour on Safety”. I’d like to know is that 24/7 or just Monday thru Friday 8 to 5?
A million dollars an hour may sound like a lot of money to some, but in the real world of many things it not very much. It is costing BP more than that every day in lost stock value, disaster clean up, lost lives and lost product, (and I’ll bet they are spending that much on lawyers and legal fees every day).
The US Government wastes that much money every day on paper and ink. A top Funny Car or Formula One Team can spend that much money per hour at a Race.
And, to be clear, all Auto Companies spend that much and sometimes more (I’ll bet Mercedes and BMW does).
Judging from the photos of the damage this was not a High Speed incident but did appear to be the sort of accident damage you would see when any two cars hit head-on while trying to change lanes to avoid collision (someone Zigged, when they should have Zagged).
Perhaps it is time to have all countries use the same side to drive on, and adopt “Keep Right Except To Pass” laws worldwide. I know this would solve many of the traffic flow problems in many states and cities. It would even make California a great place to drive once again instead of the worst.
Dicken Wear, The Motorsports Report
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