Toyota has built a Land Cruiser SUV capable of a record-breaking 230mph
Dubbed The World’s Fastest SUV, the specially commissioned Land Cruiser has a 2,000bhp engine
A Toyota Land Cruiser just broke the SUV top speed record by hitting an astonishing 230.02mph.
The unique off-roader set the record on the two-and-a-half-mile runway at the Mojave Air and Space Port in the Californian desert, beating the previous record set by the Brabus Bi-Turbo V12 GLK by 19mph.
Chuck Wade, manager of the Toyota Motorsport Technical Centre (MTC) where the “Land Speed Cruiser” was built, said: “The World’s Fastest SUV record was at 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 can go.’”
A team of engineers used the car’s standard V8 as a starting point before massively modifying the unit. They fitted “volleyball-sized” turbochargers, which then forced the use of uprated pistons and rods, as well as a new intake system.
Power was boosted to nearly 2,000bhp, which was sent to all four wheels via a custom racing transmission.
One of the most complex parts of the build was improving the vehicle’s aerodynamics so that it remained stable at high speeds. The Land Speed Cruiser sits low to the ground, while its frame was narrowed by three inches to accommodate wider tyres.
Toyota Nascar driver Carl Edwards said: “At 225 mph, the thing was wandering a little bit. All I could think was that Craig [Stanton, Toyota test driver] said, ‘No matter what, just keep your foot in it,’ and we got 230 mph.”
