LA 2009: Toyota and Billabong craft one funky Venza

No, this isn't a leftover post from SEMA, although to be perfectly fair, it is a leftover vehicle from SEMA. While reporting on the Hot Rod Toyota Tundra and Tacoma All-Terrain Gamer, we somehow missed this tricked-out Venza. Kitted out by the Australian surfwear mavens at Billabong, it's called the Ultimate Venza Concept. Umm, yeah. While the vast majority of Venza crossovers are probably never going to be used off-road, this Ultimate Venza apparently wants us to know that any extreme sports fan will be happy in one.

Toyota had Street Image do the build. They started with a 2009 Venza and added a body kit with Outback-worthy fender flares and alloy wheels. That crazy custom roof rack can accommodate surfboards, snow boards and wake boards, and can be lowered for easier loading. There's even a hidden cargo rack that allows skis and snow boards to be mounted at the back. There are front and rear hitch receivers, a Grinch Winch to "pull wake boarders into waves or snow boarders and skaters across flat land to a jump or rail," and a TRD big brake kit in there as well.

Besides being identified by the massive graphics along the flanks, Billabong also chipped in wet suit material for the seats and an homage of sorts on the headliner which features a collage of Billabong athletes in action. The vehicle also incorporates certain "living" features like a heated shower system to help you rinse off after surfing and a Verizon Wireless access point router to keep you abreast of current surf and snow conditions. Look for it at upcoming Billabong surf events, read more about it in the press release after the jump, and see it in our high-res gallery below.

Photos copyright ©2009 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Toyota]

PRESS RELEASE

Toyota/Billabong Ultimate Venza Concept

The Toyota/Billabong Ultimate Venza makes its debut at the 2009 SEMA Show. Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. teamed with Billabong and Street Image to create the perfect active sports vehicle that you could take to the beach, lake, mountains, skate park or anywhere in between and have a blast. The Ultimate Venza will be used to support top extreme athletes at future competitions.

Modifying a Venza to meet the needs of extreme athletes was a natural fit. Its vast interior space, versatility, utility and comfort make it a perfect vehicle for people with active lifestyles.

Street Image built the Ultimate Venza by taking a 2009 Toyota Venza as the starting point. The exterior modification of the Ultimate Venza includes an aggressive custom body kit that includes a unique Toyota/Billabong exterior paint design, fender flares and alloy wheels. A custom roof rack was designed and installed to accommodate surf, snow and wake boards. The roof rack lowers to make it easier to load surf boards and also features a hidden cargo rack that extends from the rear bumper for skis and snow boards.

Street Image also installed a front and rear hitch receiver and Grinch Winch to pull wake boarders into waves or snow boarders and skaters across flat land to a jump or rail. Finally, large Enkei wheels with Nitto tires and a Toyota Racing Development (TRD) big brake kit were added to provide superior traction and stopping power when driving off the beaten path or to the beach.

The interior of the Ultimate Venza utilizes genuine Billabong materials and construction. The seats are custom upholstered with wet suit materials and incorporate Billabong's latest design scheme and colors. The headliner is an artistic color collage depicting Billabong athletes in action.

Additional Ultimate Venza interior modifications include "living" features that will allow the athletes to conduct many everyday endeavors while on the go or at competition sites. Among the "living" features located in the rear cargo area is a custom heated shower system with a 10 gallon capacity for rinsing off after surfing.

A Verizon Wireless access point router was installed, allowing the athletes to receive up-to-date surf or snow reports and other important information. The Ultimate Venza was installed with the latest audio and video equipment from Fujitsu Ten's legendary Eclipse brand. The system features a multi-media DVD head unit, iPod interface, head rest-mounted LCD monitors, 18 speakers and 2,200 watts of power. Rear hatch-mounted speakers allow for enhanced sound quality when relaxing during a post-competition tailgate gathering.

The Toyota/Billabong Ultimate Venza Concept will be the official Billabong Team vehicle for use by surf, snow, skate and wake athletes. It will also be used in the Billabong Adventure Division to tow personal watercraft during wave excursions and will be the official Billabong tow vehicle for their wake team. The one-of-a-kind Venza will also be displayed at Billabong surf contests and camps from coast to coast.

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