Lexus LF-A test driver dies in crash

[jtvang125]

Didn't see this posted yet.

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/23/breaking-toyota-chief-test-driver-dies-lf-a-germany-ring/

Don't know much about the guy but seems he's a legend in Toyota's history. Unfortunately at 67 years old I think this was a big factor in the cause of the accident.

 

[Gibson486]

Did the car use parts from a corolla?

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

I blame it on unintended acceleration.

 

[RedRooster]

"Don't you guys think these floor mats are a little stiff? They seem awkward down there."
"No, no, they're fine. Go at it, let us know what you think."

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

I can see the BMW ad now.
Our cars are so safe that even a speeding 1.5 Million Euro car can't kill the passengers.

 

[Supersonic64]

Unintended acceleration FAIL.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I bet he lost control because it had an automatic transmission and we all know that automatics don't give you the driving experience or control that a manual transmission car does.

 

[boomerang]

"Don't you guys think these floor mats are a little stiff? They seem awkward down there."
"No, no, they're fine. Go at it, let us know what you think."

Best laugh of the day - so far! :thumbsup:

 

[TwinsenTacquito]

Probably went down exactly how he'd like to have. Maybe he didn't have a woman in his lap, but it was CLOSE to exactly how.

 

[EricMartello]

Just so you know, LF-A stands for "Looking For Anal"...it's the gay man's sports car, that's why it has 3 holes in the back side.

 

[Howard]

Just so you know, LF-A stands for "Looking For Anal"...it's the gay man's sports car, that's why it has 3 holes in the back side.

What?

 

[Pariah]

Awesome. People making jokes about a guy getting killed in an accident. Classy folks you guys are.

Odd that there don't appear to be skid marks made by either car. Whatever went wrong must have happened extremely suddenly and they hit head on at full speed.

Condolences to the families involved and to Toyota.

 

[punjabiplaya]

Awesome. People making jokes about a guy getting killed in an accident. Classy folks you guys are.

Odd that there don't appear to be skid marks made by either car. Whatever went wrong must have happened extremely suddenly and they hit head on at full speed.

Condolences to the families involved and to Toyota.

Especially since he was the man responsible for all of Toyota's fun vehicles and legendary racers. He will be missed.

 

[Fenixgoon]

as other people have said - a very sad, but very fitting way for their lead test driver/engineer to go - driving the ultimate lexus around the best road in the world

 

[LTC8K6]

The vehicles look as though the occupants of both should have survived.

 

[LTC8K6]

Awesome. People making jokes about a guy getting killed in an accident. Classy folks you guys are.

Odd that there don't appear to be skid marks made by either car. Whatever went wrong must have happened extremely suddenly and they hit head on at full speed.

Condolences to the families involved and to Toyota.

Not going to be much in the way of skid marks with ABS braking, correct?

 

[Pariah]

Not going to be much in the way of skid marks with ABS braking, correct?

Would depend on the vehicle, ABS calibration, tires, etc. However, it is certainly possible to leave skids mark from emergency braking even with ABS.

 

[LTC8K6]

Would depend on the vehicle, ABS calibration, tires, etc. However, it is certainly possible to leave skids mark from emergency braking even with ABS.

I hope not. Maybe if the car slides sideways also?

If you can leave a skid mark on dry pavement with modern functioning 4 channel ABS, then what could you do in the rain?

 

[TridenT]

Did they record the video from the driver's view?

If this was a test drive then I would assume they have footage of the vehicles point of view going.

 

[Bignate603]

Don't know much about the guy but seems he's a legend in Toyota's history. Unfortunately at 67 years old I think this was a big factor in the cause of the accident.

I would bet that that 67 year old could have driven rings around anyone on this board. Crashes happen unfortunately, even with experienced drivers. Driving a prototype hard when you're still trying to get everything dialed in is not the safest activity out there.

 

[sdifox]

This is a very rare thing no? Car test drivers don't usually die.

 

[boomhower]

The vehicles look as though the occupants of both should have survived.

That is what I was thinking as well. Occupant structure of both cars look fine. I'm guessing his age had a lot to do with his survivability.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

That is what I was thinking as well. Occupant structure of both cars look fine. I'm guessing his age had a lot to do with his survivability.

Or his age contributed to the crash. Hell for all we know he suffered a stroke which lead to the crash.

 

[sdifox]

Or his age contributed to the crash. Hell for all we know he suffered a stroke which lead to the crash.

Don't they wire all sorts of sensors on the driver too?

 

[teatime0315]

To all you making those dumbass jokes, bet you guys feel good. Engineers and Test Drivers push cars to the limit for your safety. At least show some respect for what these guys do. Putting your life on the line, while testing a prototype isn't a cakewalk.
Also the car was a prototype, thus it doesn't have all the safety amenities the production BMW holds. Super cars tend to have less safety features than normal cars due to weight reduction. No fanboy here, I love bmw's M line but i still give credit to where credit is due.