The 220 mph SUV is among SEMA’s most ridiculous exhibits
The last words you’d associate with almost any Toyota vehicles is “speed,” or “crazy” — except when you’re highlighting the things they lack. Toyota is making sober cars for mature audiences, and that’s why it's the world’s most valuable brand. But there are exceptions that show the minds behind the cars can be childish as well.
So here’s the horror movies-inspired Land Cruiser, dubbed Land Speed Cruiser for obvious reasons: it reportedly can reach 220 mph, a top speed figure suitable for today’s hypercars, not for a 5,800-pound (2,600 kilos) brick-shaped SUV – as it weighs in stock guise. Of course, this one is stripped to the bone and cladded in lightweight materials, but not even a miracle can make a Land Cruiser on par with a Porsche 918.
To reach this incredible 220 mph (354 km/h) top speed figure, the 5.7-liter V8 engine typically found under Land Cruiser’s bonnet has been upgraded a bit. And when we say “a bit,” we are obviously ironic, as it now has two “volleyball-sized” Garrett turbos among other modifications.
The Land Speed Cruiser’s high-pressure internal combustion setup is now generating “over 2,000 hp” without mentioning the (probably) stupidly high amount of torque it can boast.
Toyota doesn’t even hint at the possibility of a limited run model, although I’m convinced that somewhere in the Middle East this showcase vehicle opened some check books already.