At the upcoming SEMA Show, Toyota will release a unique Tacoma X-Runner pick-up truck called the RTR. Ready to Race is what it stands for, and the tuned Tacoma comes powered by a modified Toyota Tundra 5.7-liter V8 engine. With the addition of a new supercharger and intake kit, the custom truck now delivers an impressive 504 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque. It will come with a fabricated steel driveshaft, relocated exhaust behind the passenger rear wheel, and livery inspired tuning by the unique 1968 Dan Gurnery Mercury Cougar XR7-G pony car.
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Toyota tuning information with articles and pictures about modified Toyota cars for Toyota tuning enthusiasts.
Toyota FT-86 Concept at 41st Tokyo Motor Show
At the 41st Tokyo Motor Show, Subaru and Toyota have partnered together to release the Toyota FT-86 Concept. Both companies will produce their own versions of the car, but right now they are sticking with the Toyota name. It should launch at the end of 2011 and will be powered by a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four cylinder engine. Sporting a rear wheel drive, the Toyota FT-86 Concept car shows performance numbers of 146 hp and 190 Nm of torque. Hopefully there will be a turbocharger available for those tuning enthusiasts wanting extra power for their Toyota or Subaru. Delivering maximum driving performance will be a 6-speed manual transmission, and the affordable sports car will be priced around $20,000 USD.
Tommy Kaira Toyota Prius
Japanese car tuning specialists Tommy Kaira have created a modified version of the third-generation Toyota Prius, which is one of the top selling hybrids. All of the customizations are cosmetic because the tuning company didn’t want to hinder fuel economy, since that is the reason people buy the Prius in the first place. The front end received a completely redesigned look with the addition of a front lip spoiler and air intake vents. Lowering the ride height of the Toyota Prius is an aftermarket suspension kit to add to the new sporty look. It also received new larger wheels and tires because the wheels on most hybrid models are pathetic.
Wald International Toyota Land Cruiser
Wald International from Japan has released a styling kit for the latest generation Toyota Land Cruiser. They called this styling kit The Black Bison because the offroader received a massive and aggressive look with huge 24 or 26″ rims and a couple elements that extend the car’s long body kit even more. The stylish kit consists of a re-designed front bumper, new side skirts that connect the front side with the rear side of the car, a rear apron with integrated diffuser and a small roof wing to add a stylish touch to the car. The Land Cruiser’s huge alloy wheels were wrapped in big chunky tires and it seems that Wald International was one of the few tuning companies that tried to develop a kit for this huge Land Cruiser.
Ride Cars Ford Mustang based on Toyota MR2
We’ve seen a lot of crazy car tuning styles in our time, but the newest project made by Ride Cars in the United Kingdom is one of the most extreme modifications. The car’s styling was inspired by Eleanor, a Shelby GT500 from the movie “Gone in 60 Seconds” but the strange part comes right now: the car is not a modified Mustang, it’s based on a Toyota MR2. The guys from Ride Cars made an impressive carbon fiber bodykit that consists of a new front and rear body section, new side skirts, door sills and skins, new lights and hinges and an awesome set of rear window louvers. They can also offer a wide range of options like a new set of wheels and tires, new suspension, brakes and an improved exhaust system.
Banzai Toyota Aygo
We usually review cars modified by well known car tuners, but Banzai is a Japanese magazine, not a tuning company. In March they received an Aygo from Toyota GB and they tried to modify this car a lot to offer it as a prize which was won by someone from Glasgow. The Banzai Toyota Aygo has a small 1.0L engine which received a lot of modifications. The guys from Banzai installed a supercharger that takes the power up to 138 HP and they also reduced the car’s weight considerably. Now this tiny car has incredible handling and could accelerate like a rocket from 0 to 100 km/h. The car also received a body kit made by Toyota Motorsport which has a lovely black and red combination. Banzai likes to focus their project on used cars, but the occasional factory model will suffice occasionally.
Street Image Toyota Venza Sportlux
The Toyota SportLux Venza by Street Image was designed to be offered as a factory tuned model. The car tuner was inspired by European tuners and they tried to create a subtle and aggressive body kit. They made a custom grille, installed a six-piece lip kit, a rear hatch spoiler and an integrated hood scoop. The SportLux Venza received a substantial boost in power with a many modified parts and a supercharger kit from Toyota Racing Development. The car has a height adjustable suspension and 24″ rims from Chrome Cognac equipped with Toyo Proxy 4 high performance tires.
NCE Toyota Prius Convertible
The company that made this hybrid Toyota Prius convertible is called Newport Convertible Engineering [NCE]. Hybrid cars aren’t very well designed, and the guys from NCE thought they could improve this car a lot by making it convertible and adding some cool elements. Even though a lot of people don’t think this car looks too great it’s surely an improvement from the stock car and it looks really well for a hybrid car. You could buy used hybrid cars and try to make them convertible like this one. The car’s tail lights were modified and the interior is fully covered with white. Hybrid cars will be really popular in the future and if you buy a Toyota Prius you could go wild and modify it as you wish. I’ve heard a lot of bad comments about this car but I’m pretty sure it’s a lot better than its stock version.
Toyota Matrix Rally Sport Concept
A couple of months ago, at the Auto Show from Los Angeles, Toyota revealed their latest concept, the new Matrix Rally Sport. With a wide body kit the car looks like a strong, muscle car. The guys from Toyota installed 19″ OZ rims painted in white that add an interesting contrast to the car’s look. This car is equipped with a 2.4L engine that has 4 cylinders, almost the same as engines that equip Mazda 3 cars. With this engine the car should be really fast for it’s size and it should have an incredible acceleration. The car’s design looks really impressive and we could see it go into production in 2009. Toyota Kluger also received a facelift in 2007 and it’s one of the most sold japanese 4×4 cars in this year and day by day Toyota is getting closer to General Motors, the company that sells most cars in the whole world.
Delta4X4 Toyota Land Cruiser V8
Delta4x4 is a great tuning company from Germany and as their name suggests, they try to modify 4×4 cars. Their latest project was creating a tuning kit for Toyota Land Cruiser. The car tries to mix manually built elements with modern technology and there were a lot of changes at this car. The engine’s power grew from 286 to 318 HP and now the car could reach a maximum speed of 218 km/h and it could accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 7.8 seconds, which is really fast for a 4×4 car. The guys also modified the car’s braking system, exhaust system and tried to make it less polluting.
As for exterior modifications, Delta4x4 tuning tried to make it shine really nice and installed front and rear guards made from stainless steel.