Land Cruiser, Toyota’s iconic go-anywhere four-wheel-drive sports utility vehicle, has earned myriad accolades and records over the 60-plus years it’s been in production. And now, among them is the title of “World’s Fastest SUV”, thanks to a record speed of over 370km/h, attained by the custom 2000-horsepower Land Speed Cruiser.
With former Toyota Nascar driver Carl Edwards at the helm, the understated Land Speed Cruiser shattered the previous “World’s Fastest SUV” record by more than 30km/h, reaching a GPS-verified and video-documented 370.18km/h before running out of useable pavement. With enough track ahead, the Land Speed Cruiser could be expected to go even faster.
The Land Speed Cruiser, which debuted at the 2016 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show, started life as a stock production model before being heavily modified by a team of engineers at Toyota’s Motorsports Technical Center (MTC).
Using the Land Cruiser’s production 5.7-litre 3UR-FE V8 engine as a starting point, the team added a pair of volleyball-sized Garrett turbochargers capable of producing up to 55 psi of boost. To cope with extreme force induction, the MTC team upgraded the engine’s internals with sturdier pistons and rods and a custom-made intake manifold, among other key items. This helped ensure the monstrous V8 could safely and reliably produce over 2000 horsepower for its record-setting runs.
The role of doling power was left to a custom racing transmission strong enough to withstand the stresses and abuses of high power and tremendous speeds.
However, building the engine was the easy part. Driving in excess of 321km/h challenges a vehicle’s aerodynamics and stability. To aid controllability, the Land Speed Cruiser sits lower to the pavement, thus dramatically reducing the amount of turbulent air allowed to pass underneath. Its frame received some massaging in order to maintain optimal suspension geometry, and was narrowed by 76.2mm to accommodate wider Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.
Test driver and championship road racer Craig Stanton played a key role in fine-tuning the Land Speed Cruiser’s setup at Toyota’s Arizona Proving Ground (TAPG). His input was translated into tactile changes made by MTC’s engineers.
With the Land Speed Cruiser finally ready for its record-setting run, recently retired Toyota Nascar driver Carl Edwards met the team at Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California. In addition to being one of the very few places in the U.S. where supersonic flight is allowed, it features a 4km paved runway perfectly suited to the Land Speed Cruiser’s mission.
Prior to Edwards’ run, Stanton warmed up the SUV, moving it along at a hefty 318km/h. On his first run, Edwards was able to hit an awe-inspiring 339.57km/h, but found himself running out of pavement to slow the big SUV. More boost was then dialled in to up the power, and he tried again.
The next run proved to be the most impressive. Edwards put the hammer down and piloted the Land Speed Cruiser to its jaw-dropping 370.18km/h record. 
The world’s fastest production SUV is the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.
