The Toyota Turbo Trail Cruiser concept car, unveiled at the SEMA show in November, was based on a 60-series Land Cruiser. The plan includes the 3.4-liter V-6 twin-turbo engine from the current Tundra. This engine makes 389 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. Toyota made an adapter plate that lets the old five-speed manual transmission connect to the new engine. The Corolla Cross Hybrid Nasu Edition and the Camry GT-S were both Toyota concept cars. Their next attack, which will happen before the SEMA show in early November, will be very different. The Turbo Trail Cruiser doesn’t change one of Toyota’s current models. Instead, it takes an old 60-series Land Cruiser and gives it a modern heart, the twin-turbocharged V-6 from the Tundra pickup truck. Like the Tundra, the Turbo Trail Cruiser has a 3.4-liter six-cylinder engine that makes 389 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. In addition to being nearly twice as powerful as the inline-six engine originally installed in the Land Cruiser, this engine could make the SUV go much faster right out of the gate. But Toyota stresses that the new V-6’s quieter operation, lower pollution, and better gas mileage show that the engine swap was about more than just speed. Even though the Tundra has a 10-speed automatic gearbox, Toyota kept the Land Cruiser’s original five-speed manual transmission. It made an adapter plate to connect the stick-shift setup to the i-Force engine. The crew changed the oil pan and made new motor mounts to fit the Land Cruiser’s frame. Along with a new exhaust system and a special wiring harness, Toyota added a new heat exchanger to give the engine more cold air. Toyota didn’t change the Land Cruiser’s basic design, so the outside look didn’t change much, even though the engine was very different. Toyota was able to preserve the original’s beauty by adding a V-6 engine without removing the firewall or moving the engine mounting points. The most important changes are a 1.5-inch lift, huge 35-inch tires, and a front shackle reversal, which alters how the suspension works by reversing the direction of the leaf springs’ connection to the frame. The car’s exterior was painted to match Toyota’s 1986 Silver 147 color, and the interior featured a modern JBL sound system and a touchscreen dashboard. A lot of physical switches and analog readings make the cabin look just like it did in the 1980s. The seats are made of striped fabric. This restomod will only be done once, but it shows that Toyota is proud of its history and may inspire some creative Toyota fans to make amazing builds that combine new powertrains with old-fashioned looks.
