Toyota get into the SEMA spirit with ludicrous Land Cruiser
Las Vegas' annual SEMA auto show is pumped full of the weird and the wonderful. And while sometimes its four-wheeled subjects cop flack for their silliness, it also provides manufacturers with just about the only opportunity they get on an annual basis to let their hair down and create something truly silly.
And so we arrive at Toyota, perhaps one of the most conservative brands in world motoring. What could they have possibly created for SEMA that's in any way interesting?
How about 30 different custom builds, each more jaw-dropping than the next.
There's the Prius G, a racer based on the current polarizing Prius hybrid, a slammed Toyota Sienna people mover that borrows the blue and gold colour scheme from the brand's chums at Subaru, and then there's this ... thing.
It's called the Land Speed Cruiser, and as you would expect there's no irony in that moniker. Under the bonnet is a 2000hp (or 1500kW) 3UR-FE 5.7-liter V8 engine. The 3UR-FE is no stranger to Landcruisers, as one of the typical engines for the US-market version.
However this particular 5.7 receives a light tickle from two Pluto-sized Garrett turbochargers. With enough space, it'll hit a dizzying 354.7km/h — making it as quick as a Lamborghini Veneno, and quicker than a McLaren P1, Ferrari LaFerrari, and Porsche 918.
I'm pleased that Toyota have elected to keep the whole thing rather civil in the visual sense. Apart from huge MOMO TRD wheels and the much lower stance, there really isn't a lot giving away how truly destructive it is. Only when you pay particular attention do you spot the twin vents in the front bumper, the front splitter, side-exiting exhausts, and rear diffuser ...
It's stupid and bizarre and completely uncalled for, and I love it.
