Broad-shouldered, confident and tough, the vaunted Toyota Land Cruiser authored the rulebook for sports utility vehicles (SUVs). This year, the Land Speed Cruiser writes an exciting new chapter in the SUV’s history book.
Making its debut on Toyota’s booth at the 2016 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show, the Land Speed Cruiser is a low-slung, purpose-built sled of a vehicle capable of generating more than 2000bhp and reaching a top speed of 354km/h that would leave most sports cars in the dust.
The build team surgically extracted the outer shell of a 2016 Land Cruiser. Beneath the surface of the Land Speed Cruiser lies the rugged durability of Toyota’s 3UR-FE 5.7-liter V8. A volleyball-sized Garrett turbocharger flanks each bank of cylinders and breathes directly through front inlets in the specially designed aerodynamic hood. The engine is linked to an ATI transmission.
“From the outside, the Land Speed Cruiser appears quite normal, quite subtle,” said motorsports technical center manager Chuck Wade, who built this vehicle with his team of engineers. “This is what makes it so special. Every single system and component has been touched. The trick is getting the body back onto the heavily modified frame.”
“With the Land Speed Cruiser, we are breaking all of the normal conventions of what an SUV should be,” said Steve Appelbaum, Toyota Motor Sales national egagement marketing manager. “This vehicle is truly a feat of engineering.” 
Read our review of the Toyota Fortuner.
