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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.

2015 Corvette gets luxury Atlantic and track-focused Pacific options

Chevrolet will offer two special packages on the 2015 Corvette Stingray when it hits dealerships later this year. The Atlantic convertible features a luxury/GT-focused option, while the Pacific will be a track-focused coupe. “One of the design goals for the Corvette Stingray was to provide customers with the flexibility to tailor the car to their personality,” said Kirk Bennion, Corvette exterior design manager.

Concept Car of the Week: Fiat Scia (1993)

After a successful design competition between famous Italian design houses to rework the little Cinquecento, Fiat renewed the experience two years later by giving to nine of them – including Fiat's in-house studio – a new Fiat Punto as a base to let their creative juices flow. The results ranged from being simply forgettable (Zagato Monomille), ridiculously daft (Boneschi Doblone) or just plain ugly (Giannini Punto 4x4 TL), but one of the concepts stood out from the flock for being brilliantly bold. This was the Fiat Scia, presented to the public at the 1993 Turin Auto Show.