Toyota's Venza trio didn't stir our souls, but a few of its customized trucks had us itching for some Italian iron and a remake of the first Back to the Future flick.
First up is the Toyota Tundra/Ducati Transporter that makes trips to the track a breeze with a motorized loading ramp, an integrated tool system, storage for spare parts and a set of solar panels mounted on the bed rails to provide auxiliary power. A 5.7-liter supercharged V8 sends power to 22-inch custom aluminum Alcoa wheels coated in Pirelli Scorpion Zero tires. In addition to a handful of suspension and body mods, the truck gets a custom interior with thrones fitted with an In Seat Solutions Relaxor Massage system. Naturally, the Ducati Desmo MotoGP bike is sold separately.
Tucked in behind the Tundra was the Tacoma Truck Concept, coated in a cream pearl exterior and retro stripes that had us fondly reminiscing about our first off-road experience in the 80s. A four-cylinder engine is mated to a four-speed automatic gearbox and a four-wheel-drive system (4x4x4) pulled from Landcruiser, featuring a solid front axle, transfer case and Toyota Motorsport rear axle. A custom roll bar and front grill joins KC Daylighter six-inch lights, Bushwacker fender flares and American Racing AR-23 wheels. And the exterior isn't the only thing retro about this Tacoma. According to our man Mike Levine from Pickuptrucks.com, the seats are swathed in 20-year-old Recaro fabric that the Toyota crew found in the corner of their warehouse.
The last of our Toyota trucks was the TRD Tacoma Off Road Project, which features a supercharged 4.0-liter V6, a seven-inch widened track, custom front control arms matched to a new set of Bilsteins with 13-inches of wheel travel and an independent rear suspension with 14-inches of wheel travel. Think of it as the Raptor asinterpreted by Toyota, but without the trick rear suspension setup.
