Lexus's chief test driver, Hiromu Naruse, has died in a head-on collision near the Nurburgring.
The 67-year-old was driving a Lexus LFA Nurburgring Edition prototype when the car collided with an oncoming BMW 3-series on highway 94. Naruse was pronounced dead at the scene. The two occupants of the BMW - also apparently a test car of some sort - were seriously injured.
The exact cause of the accident is unknown, but is currently the subject of an investigation by police.
It appears that the Lexus was on the way back to Toyota's nearby engineering facility after a test session at the 'Ring: according to a police spokesman the drivers and passenger were wearing helmets, while both cars were 'packed with electronics equipment'.
Naruse had worked for Lexus parent company Toyota since 1963 and worked on many projects ranging from the iconic Toyota 2000GT to the LFA - his latest baby.
The thoughts of the whole PH team - and no doubt the whole of PistonHeads - are with Naruse-san's family, and the families of the two BMW occupants.