No problem! Anonymity works for me, it it keeps us in touch with a Toyota insider.
I agree with you about the insider stories. They are cool.
That story about running the engine without oil seems unbelievable, but I remember seeing a video of someone running an RX-7 rotary engine wwith a blown rotor at 9000 rpm for 7+ mins before it blew, and then I start thinking maybe the 1UZ could..
I still don't get how gasoline can do anything to help crank bearings, cam bearings, etc. Lubing the cylinder walls is one thing, but I don't get the rest. I'm not a mechanical automotive engineer either.
And why did they blow it up anyway? It pained me to watch those guys in that video kill that beat up rotary--how could the guys that helped create one of these beauties kill it? (I'd have bid for it on Ebay and kept it in my garage as a 'spare') !