Two top secret Tundras that Toyota kept hidden

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:20:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Performance, Truck, Toyota, Off-Road

TRD Tundra Street Concept - Click above for image gallery

Proving how serious Toyota was about its hopes for the full-size Tundra pickup after it was redesigned in 2007 comes news from our friends at PickupTrucks.com that the Japanese automaker had planned two specialty versions of the truck that would have brought it some much-needed excitement two years after its initial introduction.

First up is a street-only performance version packing a lowered suspension, 22-inch rims, uprated brakes and a factory-installed supercharger to bump output up to 504 horsepower and 550 pound-feet of torque. Included in the kit would be a Competition Mode would that removed the factory stability control at the touch of a button. Apparently, that machine was inspired by the old Viper-powered Dodge Ram SRT-10 and was foreshadowed by the TRD Tundra Street Concept from the 2006 SEMA Show (seen above).

The second, somewhat more intriguing model, would currently be stealing some thunder away from Ford's awe-inspiring SVT Raptor. In addition to the expected long-travel suspension, the off-road-ready pickup would reportedly borrow the independent rear suspension components from Toyota's Tundra-based Sequioa full-size SUV.

If all of that sounds intriguing - and it most certainly does to our ears - we must sadly throw a wet blanket over the whole shebang. History shows that the Tundra has failed to live up to the lofty expectations of its proud parent, leading Toyota to reportedly abandon both projects... and leaving us to wonder what might have been.

Gallery: TRD Toyota Tundra Street Concept

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

Two top secret Tundras that Toyota kept hidden originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Performance Test: 2008 Toyota Tundra TRD

Drew Phillips — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:58:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Truck, Toyota

Click above for a high-res image gallery of the Toyota Tundra TRD

We don't do much performance testing of the vehicles we review here at Autoblog, partly because we don't have the resources and also because our seat-of-the-pants-meter usually gives us the pertinent information we need about how a car (or truck, in this case) performs. There are times, however, that we do get the urge to get real, actual numbers. Take, for instance, this 2008 Toyota Tundra TRD. Last month, Motor Trend put it to the test and claimed it could muscle its way from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds. While we have no doubt that this time could theoretically be achieved assuming unlimited amounts of traction, we called shenanigans and vowed to get our hands on the truck to record our own numbers. Fortunately, Toyota was game and provided the same exact Tundra TRD used in Motor Trend's test with a fresh set of rear tires. We're not here to debate the point of a performance truck or argue with those who think vehicles like this are the cause of global warming. We just want to see what it'll really run. So along with our pal Mike Levine of PickupTrucks.com, we set out to play drag racer for a day and find out. Read on to see the results.

Gallery: Performance Test: 2008 Toyota Tundra TRD

Continue reading Performance Test: 2008 Toyota Tundra TRD

Performance Test: 2008 Toyota Tundra TRD originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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