World's fastest Toyota LandCruiser

AS A 4x4er it was easy to walk past this Toyota LandCruiser 200 at the recent SEMA Show.

Slammed trucks are just not our thing and we went straight past this to check out the beautifully restored FJ25 that was also on the Toyota stand. It was only after someone mentioned the 200 later on that we went back for another look.

The LandCruiser 200 is slammed for a reason. It was built to take the mantle of the world’s fastest SUV and, with a twin-turbo V8 under its bonnet, it is set to take on the challenge. That’s not the twin-turbo V8 that Australian LandCruiser owners are familiar with. No diesel here! This is the 5.7-litre 3UR-FE as found in the Lexus LX570. And with a pair of monster Garrett turbochargers fitted, that could each suck up and spit out a RAV4, it is claimed to produce up to 2000hp.

“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 marketing manager. “This vehicle is truly a feat of engineering.”

To be the fastest SUV the Cruiser will have to break 355km/h (220mph in Yank-speak).

We don’t expect to see this LandCruiser out on the Canning Stock Route anytime soon, but we’ll be keeping an eye out to see if the team achieves its high-speed goal. In the meantime you can check out this vid of the car’s build and testing.