Toyota Land Speed Cruiser claims the title of 'World's fastest SUV'

Toyota’s popular SUV, the Land cruiser has been in production for above 60 years. The Land Cruiser is known for its go-anywhere ability, thanks to its four-wheel-drive layout. The Land Cruiser churns out 381bhp from its massive 5.7 litre V8 engine, but it often proved inadequate when pitted against high performance cars.

In fact, until last year it was absurd even to think that the Land Cruiser would run against a super car. Not anymore though! Recently, Toyota surprised attendees of the 2016 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show with a souped-up version of the Land cruiser - called the Land Speed Cruiser. And this year the Land Speed Cruiser has proven it is nothing less than a super car.

The Land Speed Cruiser set a world record of the fastest SUV by hitting a top speed of 370kmph. Toyota verified the top speed by GPS and a documented video of the car was also released. The Land Speed Cruiser is a modified version of the Land Cruiser. It gets two bigger turbochargers from Garret which can pump in 55 PSI of boost.

Also Toyota’s MTC team upgraded the Land Speed Cruiser’s engine internals to withstand the boost from the turbo. The upgraded engine internals include sturdier pistons, rods and a custom-made intake manifold. Using the Land Cruisers 5.7 litre V8 engine, the Land Speed Cruiser churns out 2000bhp. The body of the Land Speed Cruiser has been lowered to improve aerodynamics, stability and controllability at high speeds.

The record was set on a 2.5 mile long runway at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave by former Toyota NASCAR driver, Carl Edward. The Land Speed Cruiser set a new record at 230 miles per hour – a wide margin compared to  the previous record clocked at 211 miles per hour.