Toyota Land Speed Cruiser – world’s fastest SUV

You wouldn’t associated a Toyota Land Cruiser with outright speed, but that hasn’t stopped Toyota USA from wanting to do so. The company has heavily modified the iconic, go-anywhere SUV as part of efforts to secure the title of “world’s fastest SUV.”

The first order of business is to gain even more power from the 3UR-FE 5.7 litre V8 by adding on a pair of Garrett turbochargers with up to 55 PSI of boost. To ensure the engine’s internals can cope, stronger pistons and rods, and a custom-made intake manifold were fitted, among other things.

With the V8 producing well over 2,000 hp, and with a custom racing transmission strong enough to handle the stresses, the team then focused on the Land Speed Cruiser’s body and chassis. A lowered ride height, aerodynamic features, narrower frame and wide Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres were just some of the modifications.

The person responsible for setting the record was Toyota NASCAR driver Carl Edwards, who managed to bring the Land Speed Cruiser to an unofficial record speed of 370.18 km/h (230.02 mph). This is verified via GPS and video recording, with the team claiming that the SUV will go even faster with more runway.

“The world’s fastest SUV record was at 339.57 km/h (211 mph). That’s extremely fast. Toyota thought, ‘Why don’t we make a really, ultra-powerful Land Cruiser, and let’s just see how fast we can make it go,” said Toyota’s Motorsports Technical Center (MTC) manager, Chuck Wade.

“At 225 mph, the thing was wandering a little bit. All I could think was that Craig said, ‘No matter what, just keep your foot in it,’ and we got 230 mph. It’s safe to say that this is the fastest SUV on the planet,” Edwards said.

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Gerard Lye

Originating from the corporate world with a background in finance and economics, Gerard’s strong love for cars led him to take the plunge into the automotive media industry. It was only then did he realise that there are more things to a car than just horsepower count.

 

Comments

  • safety 1st on May 08, 2017 at 10:28 am

    Toyota. Safety, reliable, sporty All in one.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 6
    • Oh, the irony there is on so many levels….

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0
      • otak batu on May 08, 2017 at 11:52 am

        On many levels still better than TuneD. This car can outrun any Proton with ‘special’ tuning

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 5
    • Gerard Stephenson on May 08, 2017 at 8:25 pm

      Toyota is a dinosaur car which uses old, recycled technology.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 5
      • Unfortunately the dinosaur car can eat your Proton for breakfast, lunch and dinner

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
  • Karam singh on May 08, 2017 at 11:29 am

    Honda can never beat this.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
  • HONDA MALAYSIA on May 08, 2017 at 11:39 am

    malaysia one ford ranger at johor using this engine on his ranger.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Yeast Lump on May 08, 2017 at 11:48 am

    Next up….Bentley, Porsche, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Ford will set the next fastest SUV record soon…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • Eddy Ho on May 08, 2017 at 12:16 pm

    It’s faster than the speed of sound…. Incredible

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 4
  • Richard Hammond (The Grand Tour) on May 08, 2017 at 2:20 pm

    Finally! The Nissan Patrol 1900-hp has a challenger. Put these beast Land Cruiser, beast Patrol and a Porsche 918 on a drag race. That would be a great race to witness.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • Matchy on May 08, 2017 at 3:00 pm

    Faster than the Bentayga?

    https://paultan.org/2015/09/09/2016-bentley-bentayga-revealed/

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
 

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