1999-2004 Alero Trunk Striker Cover Trim Panel on 2040-parts.com

Hiromu Naruse: ‘Godfather’ of the LFA ‘Not Famous Enough’

Hiromu Naruse & Lexus LFA Last year we reported the death of Hiromu Naruse, Toyota’s chief test driver and a man considered to be the ‘Godfather’ of the Japanese performance car, and particularly the Lexus LFA, a car which consumed the last decade of his life and became the final testament to his enormous skill. At 67, Naruse-san was still as involved as ever, and it was whilst driving a Lexus LFA with the Nurburgring Package he met his end on a public road near the Nurburgring. A track, incidentally, he had driven more than any other Japanese driver.

BMW X4 revealed: the £36,590 SUV-coupe

BMW has pulled the covers off its all-new X4 mid-size SUV coupe – the baby brother to the controversial but nevertheless popular BMW X6. Set to go on sale in the summer for prices starting from just under £37,000, the new BMW X4 is already being described as a thinking man’s Range Rover Evoque by one motor trade expert… but is sure to elicit controversy amongst enthusiasts too. Click on the image above to read all about the new BMW X4…

2012 Mercedes E63 AMG gets Twin-Turbo 5.5-Litre V8: New York 2011 Catch-up

2012 Mercedes E63 AMG with twin-turbo V8 It’s always the same; however hard we try there’s always something of proper interest that slips through the net when there’s a motor show on, and this time there’s likely to be more as New York and Shanghai are in full swing at the same time. Excuses out of the way, we thought we ought to take a look at the 2012 Mercedes E63 AMG, which has had a heart transplant to get Mercedes’ latest 5.5 litre twin-turbo V8. Out goes the naturally aspirated 6.2 litre V8 and in comes the forced-induction jobbie, promising more torque and much better economy.