Toyota Land Cruiser speed: the speed titanium

Torrance (USA), 9 may 2017

Hand on heart: what kind of car would you choose to reach 370 km/h? Something very flat and very potent in the League determines Bugatti, Koenigsegg or Ferrari. But surely no Toyota Land Cruiser. Those grounds classic, with both oligarchs Moscow as well UN peacekeepers through Africa tick. But what has happened now. Curtain on for the "land speed Cruiser". Fasten seatbelt!

From the series to the SUV-Monster

The "Land Speed Cruiser" Toyota had revealed for the first time in 2016 on the tuning Messe SEMA in Las Vegas. The goal: To improve of the world record for the fastest SUV, at least 340 km/h. basis of the insane vehicle is actually a land cruiser from the series production. After the arrival, at the latest in the "Motorsports Technical Center", in which Toyota screws US on race cars for the NASCAR series, was closing with usually.

Loader in XXL format

Finally, the Toyota Land Cruiser does not necessarily exhibit optimum aerodynamics for speeds far beyond the 300-km/h mark. Since only one half: fuckin' lot of power, more specifically around 2,000 HP. To achieve this, the standard 5.7-litre V8 received two Garrett turbochargers in volleyball format with each 55 psi of boost pressure. So that it does not tear the motor when so much performance, among other things, the piston and the connecting rods were strengthened, moreover a special intake manifold.

Improved road holding

But experts admit that the motor construction was the easier part. After all, what good is it to hunt, when the whole load is unmanageable a land cruiser to over 300 km/h? ERGO we worked on the chassis and aerodynamics. Out came a lowering, an optimized suspension geometry and a spread around eight centimeters to fat tire of brand "Michelin pilot Super Sport" to accommodate.

Four kilometres of pure madness

After fine tuning by test pilot Craig Stanton went on the "Mojave air and space port". There's a four-kilometre runway, which is also used by private space companies. After Stanton had preheated speed cruiser to 319 km/h to the country he left the previous Toyota NASCAR driver Carl Edwards the steering wheel. In the first attempt, Edwards managed 340 km/h, until he noticed that the asphalt braking came from him. At the second attempt, the gas pedal in the bottom plate nailed Edwards. We hear him: "at approximately 360 km/h, the car developed a certain momentum. But Craig told me before: you don't care and stay with your foot on the gas pedal. So, I reached 370 km/h. ', said the broadly grinning professional after the successful record attempt. (rh)

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