Anybody whose ever been associated with Lexus and Toyota will tell you that few people are as respected as Master Test Driver Hiromu Naruse who i met at this years Nurburgring 24h.

The iconic test driver for Toyota began his career with the company as an accountant, but quickly displayed a knack for his expertise in building and developing cars.

In the past 47 years, Naruse inspired and had a hand in building almost every sports car built by Toyota, including his latest work of art, the Lexus LF-A.

Sadly, Naruse’s life was taken while driving the last masterpiece he helped build, the LF-A Nurburgring Edition, after a tragic car accident cost Toyota more than just its “NurMiester”.

The company lost a friend, a brother, a hero, and an icon.

As a sign of respect to honor the man many say is one of the best test drivers in history – he’s logged more hours than any Japanese driver at the Nurburgring – Lexus released a short video in tribute to Hiromu Naruse, the one and only master.