Toyota has taken claim of the world’s fastest SUV honour after a modified Land Cruiser recorded a top speed of 230.02mph.
The record-breaking speed was set on a two-and-a-half-mile runway located at the Mojave Air and Space Port in the Californian desert. The Toyota, dubbed the Land Speed Cruiser, has beaten the previous world record for fastest SUV, which was set by the Brabus Bi-Turbo V12 GLK which reached 211mph.
Explaining the thinking behind the Land Speed Cruiser, the Manager of the Toyota Motorsport Technical Centre (MTC), Chuck Wade, said: “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.’”
The specially modified Toyota is based on the V8 version of the Land Cruiser which has a 5.7-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine offering 381bhp as standard. To make it the fastest SUV ever, Toyota basically added a couple of massive turbochargers to this engine to increase its output to over 2,000bhp.
Engine internals were also upgraded to cope with the boost in power offered by the turbos. The eight-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive powertrain were also removed from the standard V8 model. In their place, the record-breaking Land Cruiser gets a three-speed drag racing gearbox and a new drivetrain that can send all power to the rear wheels only via an overdrive function.
The aerodynamics of the Land Cruiser were also modified so that it could remain stable while building up to an incredibly high speed. The body was lowered by 130mm, the wing mirrors were removed and replaced with small cameras and a rear spoiler was attached. The underbody was also made smoother with flat panels and a diffuser to reduce the turbulence of any air that gets under the car.
Driving the Land Speed Cruiser during its runs in California was the ex-Toyota NASCAR driver Carl Edwards. He reached 198mph during a warm-up session before equalling the previous record speed of 211mph on his first proper attempt and then setting the new 230mph benchmark afterwards.
