Toyota Tundra Diesel Dually Project Truck at SEMA 2008

In the realm of full-size pickup trucks, payload and towing capacity are just as significant as Nurburgring lap times are for the Porsche and Ferrari crowd. That's what's exciting about this diesel-powered, dual rear wheel (DRW) equipped Toyota Tundra that's appearing at SEMA. Put together by Toyota Motorsports' Technical Group, the menacing, charcoal gray truck stands as an answer to those who insist that the newly-upsized Tundra is a less serious truck than the competition from Ford and Chevrolet.

Under the hood, there's an 8.0 liter inline six-cylinder turbodiesel Hino commercial truck engine. A healthy five-speed manual transmission and a Hino DRW rear end get the power to the ground and boost this stretched Tundra's capacity. 22.5-inch wheels are provided by Alcoa. Toyota didn't release specifications, but the Tundra's fifth-wheel hitch is rated at 24,000 pounds. No word on if such a truck is a serious consideration for production, or if it's just truck-guy chest-thumping.

Press Release

TOYOTA TUNDRA DIESEL DUALLY PROJECT TRUCK

"Road Warrior" exterior combined with luxury Interior

Making a bold and adventurous statement about the contrasts between rugged "Road Warrior" performance and opulent luxury, a Toyota Tundra CrewMax diesel dually project truck, which made its debut at the 2007 SEMA Show, is back again for SEMA 2008 in Toyota Vehicle Coral.

At its core, the Tundra light duty pickup's stock engine was replaced with a medium duty diesel powerplant plucked from a 35,000-pound commercial truck. The 8.0-liter inline six-cylinder high-torque engine, made by Toyota affiliate Hino, is mated with an Eaton five-speed manual transmission and a Hino back end. Toyota Motorsports Technical Group heavily modified the Tundra to accommodate the beefed-up driveline.

A host of custom exterior treatments point to the off-the-charts muscle under the hood. Prominent examples include forged aluminum alloy 22.5-inch wheels custom made by Alcoa, a diamond plate-lined bed, a charcoal gray metallic flat paint finish and a fifth-wheel hitch rated at 24,000 pounds.

The muscular theme on the outside shifts dramatically to that of luxury on the inside with hand-sewn ginger leather seats, suede pillars and headliner and dual rear captain's chairs with individual DVD entertainment systems.

PARTNERS:

• Engineering by Motorsports Technical Group
• Interior by Fast Ed's Interiors
• Paint by Focus on Cars
• Wheels by Alcoa
• Power steps and fuel door by Amp Research
• Sound system by Kenwood
• Sound installation by Beach Auto Sound
• Lighting by PIAA
• Exhaust by Magnaflow
• 5th wheel hitch by Reese

TOYOTA TUNDRA DIESEL DUALLY PROJECT TRUCK SPECIFICATIONS

CAB TYPE

• CrewMax, 6'5" Bed on lengthened frame

ENGINE

• Hino JO8E-TB Medium Duty 6 cylinder Turbo Diesel (intended for 35K lb truck)

DRIVETRAIN

• Eaton 5 speed manual transmission (medium duty application)
• Hino Medium Duty rear end with Meritor Axles
• Alcoa 22.5X9 Dually rear wheels and Floatation wheel fronts

EXTERIOR (Focus on Cars, Toyota Motorsports Technical Group)

• Color Matte Charcoal Metallic
• Trim (Theme) Satin Brushed Nickel
• Grille
• Surround
• Brushed Metal
• Bed Raw diamond plate lined
• Wheels 22.5" Alcoa 10 hand hole forged alloy wheels
• Tires Michelin Energy 295/60/22.5
• Suspension Custom dual front struts with Bilstein dampers, Deaver spring pack in rear
• Fascia Restyled front bumper insert
• Diamond Plate Rear Bumper
• Lighting PIAA P4000 Quattro cab lights, LED clearance lights on side and rear

INTERIOR (Fast Ed's Interiors)

• Color Ginger soft touch leather with french stitching and perforated inserts
• Dash Brushed satin aluminum dash panel
• Shift Knob Ginger leather wrap
• Steering
• Wheel
• Ginger leather wrap
• Seats Rear bench seat converted to two power captain's chairs and console
• Headliner Taupe ultrasuede
• Knobs Satin Brushed Nickel HVAC knobs
• Door panels Fully leather wrapped in Ginger with french stitching and perforated inserts
• Door Handles Satin Brushed Nickel
• Door Sills Satin Brushed Nickel
• Sound System Kenwood touch panel with full Kenwood sound system
• Features Navigation, dual rear seat entertainment

EXTRAS

• Reese Signature Series 24K hitch
• AMP Research electrically retractable step boards
• AMP research billet fuel filler door
• Magnaflow 4.5" Polished stainless steel exhaust