The Specialty Equipment Market Association show – better known as SEMA – took place in Las Vegas last week.
It’s the home of the USA’s wildest modified rides and custom cars, and the 2015 edition of the event did not disappoint – several Toyota models of past and present graced the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Centre. Here are six of the best.
Read our full SEMA 2015 report here.
Toyota 4Runner x Tonka: Toyota goes toy-like
Jacked-up ride height, LED lights mounted into the wheels and an eye-catching set of graphics by model car makers Tonka ensures this Toyota 4Runner stands out, loud and proud.
Toyota Mirai: ‘Future’ goes Back to the Future
Given its name means ‘future’ in Japanese and it displays incredible cutting-edge hydrogen fuel cell technology, the Toyota Mirai gave engineers the perfect opportunity to create a tie-in with the recent Back to the Future Day. We think Doc Brown would love this Mirai’s gull-wing doors, new coupe body style and interior technology including a central control tablet and a ‘flux capacitor’.
See how the Back to the Future Mirai car was made in this post.
Toyota Tacoma: Marty McFly’s dream ride
The second half of the Back to the Future project, this 2016 Toyota Tacoma received a new look to re-create the famous black Hilux that Marty McFly lusts over in the first film.
Custom paint, badges, lights, bumpers and light bar have all been added to match the car from the movie, and off-road suspension and TRD wheels give it a 2015 twist.
Toyota Sienna / Tacoma: the Ultimate Utility Vehicle
Minivan-meets-truck in this Toyota ‘hybrid’ with a difference. The body of a Sienna is mounted on top of a Tacoma, making for a rugged (and frankly slightly scary) new model – dubbed the ‘Ultimate Utility Vehicle’.
Stretched Toyota Tundra: the ‘Tundrasine’
If you really need to make an entrance, a traditional limousine simply won’t do. You need the Toyota Tundrasine.
Toyota’s Stateside engineering specialists created this stretched 4×4 from a Toyota Tundra SUV, taking the total length to over 26 feet (8.10 metres). The exterior is finished in subtle Midnight Black Metallic paint, and its eight doors open to reveal a custom leather interior, inspired by the cockpits and passenger compartments of luxury private jets.
Toyota RAV4 Rally Car
Ryan Millen of the famous Millen motorsport family showed off his new RAV4 Rally Car at SEMA. The car has gone without major modifications to the 2.5-litre engine, but its weight has been reduced by 500 pounds, and a full roll cage has been added to protect the occupants from the brutal realities of rally racing.
In his inaugural Rally America season, Millen, his navigator and fiancée Christine Fate, and the RAV4 have won their class in four out of five of the rallies they’ve entered.
The RAV4 Rally Car has already appeared in a fun video on the Jay Leno’s Garage YouTube channel, taking in the Arizona scrubland, LA streets and the Pacific shoreline – do take a look.
