Toyota unloads bounty of SEMA rides

Filed under: Aftermarket, Concept Cars, SEMA Show, Sedan, Truck, Hatchback, Toyota, Specialty, Off-Road, Racing

Toyota is bringing an arsenal of custom vehicles to SEMA 2011, including three pickups and one very cool Yaris B-Spec Racer. The pint-sized bruiser is based on the 2012 Yaris SE and should be bashing fenders with the rest of the SCCA B-Spec class contenders soon. Toyota says that Jamie Bestwick, of BMX fame, will campaign the car in the SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America in Elkhart, Wisconsin. The car features all of the hardware necessary to meet spec, including an eight-point SCCA roll cage, fire-suppression system, race seat, and six-point harness.

Toyota also has something special for those of you who prefer to take your racing off the track. The Long Beach Racers Tacoma is inspired by the upcoming Tacoma TRD T/X Baja Series, and features custom 60mm Bilstein race shocks, 35-inch BF Goodrich tires, a 50-gallon fuel cell and a big-brake kit among other goodies. All of that kit will come to bear when the truck heads to the Baja 1000 next year.

DC Shoes and West Coast Customs will also show off a unique Toyota Tundra built just for the motocross crowd while Oakley crafted a special Surf Tacoma to cater to the surfers of the world. A pre-production version of the Tacoma TRD T/X Baja Series pickup will also be on display as will the Camry Daytona 500 pace car.

Toyota unloads bounty of SEMA rides originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota FT-86 Goes Social With New iPhone App

Toyota is inviting iPhone owners to post and share images and video of the upcoming FT-86 sports car on a dedicated Web site.
http://www.insideline.com:80/toyota/ft-86/toyota-ft-86-goes-social-with-new-iphone-app.html

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Are you the new Toyota Prius C?

Filed under: Hybrid, Hatchback, Toyota

The upcoming Toyota Prius C has been unveiled in concept form, caught wearing a ton of camouflage and maybe whispered its new name to us (Aqua). But that doesn't mean we're not still interested in what will be the smallest and cheapest model in the Prius family when it arrives in 2012. Thankfully, CarScoop is here to help. A reader sent in a leaked brochure featuring what appears to be the production version of the little hybrid. The scans show off the C so nakedly we want to give it a modesty slip. Almost.

The production version of the Prius C - if that's indeed what we're looking at - loses a lot of the angular, sporty style of the concept, but it still carries a welcome refinement of the traditional Prius wedge. The biggest different is at the front end: the concept's striking headlights have been eliminated in favor of smaller versions of the Prius Liftback's instantly-identifiable lights. The rear end now blends the look of a standard Prius with a Nissan Leaf.

We like most everything about the concept better (see also: the wheels), but if Toyota can hit the speculated numbers - around 60 miles per gallon for around $20,000 - we'll take the highly efficient baby Prius no matter what it looks like. See more scans in our gallery or check out the whole brochure over on CarScoop.

Are you the new Toyota Prius C? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kenneth Moen drifts a hillclimb with his bonkers Toyota Supra turbo

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Etc., Videos, Toyota

Nothing incinerates a perfectly good set of tires better than a drift car. And no drift car makes as much smoke as Kenneth Moen's turbocharged Toyota Supra. Yes, Ken Block turns out some great videos with high production values and plenty of tail-wagging craziness... but wait 'til you get a load of this.

Moen pointed his battle-scarred Supra in the general direction of 'up' at the Lysgårdsbakkene Ski Jumping Arena in Lillehammer, Norway, a facility you may recall from the 1994 Winter Olympics. Smoke-filled antics ensued, and it was all captured on video for your viewing pleasure.

If you fancy yourself a fan of drifting insanity, do yourself a favor and watch the video after the break.

Continue reading Kenneth Moen drifts a hillclimb with his bonkers Toyota Supra turbo

Kenneth Moen drifts a hillclimb with his bonkers Toyota Supra turbo originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota returning to Le Mans with hybrid LMP1 car

Filed under: Motorsports, Hybrid, Toyota, Racing

Toyota has announced that it is returning to the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile's World Endurance Championship in 2012. The car it will be contesting the series with is a new prototype that will use a hybrid gasoline/electric powertrain. We can only hope the experience will equal more exciting future models under the Prius range...

The last time Toyota competed in Le Mans racing was in 1999, just before the Japanese automaker abandoned the GT-One program to focus on Formula One.

We don't expect Toyota's new LMP1 racer to have anything in common with the erstwhile GT-One, which was powered by a 600-horsepower 3.6-liter twin-turbo V8 engine. Though always fast, Toyota's last-gen endurance racer never quite put together a complete race. Here's hoping the effort produces more consistent results this time around. Check out the official announcement after the break.

Continue reading Toyota returning to Le Mans with hybrid LMP1 car

Toyota returning to Le Mans with hybrid LMP1 car originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota builds giant arcade claw game to sell cars in Japan

Filed under: Budget, Etc., Japan, Videos, Hatchback, Toyota, Humor

There is no greater test of skill and dexterity than an arcade claw game. Open heart surgery? For amateurs. Watch making? Child's play. Plucking an oddly-shaped stuffed animal from the clutches of its brethren with nothing but three flaccid claws and a joy stick is what it's all about.

Toyota recently tapped into humanity's bizarre fascination with robotics, oversize stuffed animals and, of course, the claw game in a promotion for the company's tiny Ractis. Using a scaled-up version of the same game we all know and love, contestants battled for the keys to their very own sub-compact hatch.

Alright, so it's all more than a little weird. Whatever. We're more concerned with the fact that the winner will have a hard time fitting their huge stuffed bear into their apartment, much less their Ractis. Hit the jump to check out the insanity for yourself.

Continue reading Toyota builds giant arcade claw game to sell cars in Japan

Toyota builds giant arcade claw game to sell cars in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 19:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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