Even though there are 18 vehicles on display at
Toyota's 2017 SEMA Show stand, the focus has clearly been put on the all-new
2018 Camry and this race-tuned C-HR crossover.
Believe it or not, the latter is no gimmick, and
Toyota is already calling this heavily-modified C-HR "the world's quickest
CUV". In fact, it lapped Willow Springs faster than a McLaren 650S Spyder,
a Porsche 911 GT3 RS and a Nissan GT-R NISMO.
As for the Camrys, top NASCAR drivers Martin Truex
Jr, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Daniel Suarez each designed their own cars for
SEMA, as did racing analyst Rutledge Wood.
Since there are a lot of Camrys to talk about, let's
kick things off by detailing the C-HR and explaining just how Toyota managed to
make it quicker than a supercar.
C-HR R-Tuned
The C-HR R-Tuned, which still features a 4-cylinder
engine and front-wheel drive layout, has underwent a full engine and
transmission swap, while a custom turbo system (23 psi boost) pushed its power
output to 600 HP. Meanwhile, aerodynamic mods produce 136 kg of
downforce as the car is also able to generate 1.2 g of braking force and 1.7g
of lateral acceleration.
Other mods include Brembo racing brakes, Toyota race
tires and a triple-adjustable DG-Spec Motion Control Suspension. Add everything
together and you get a 0-96 km/h acceleration time of just 2.9
seconds. As for its incredibly impressive Willow Springs lap time, it was
1:25.22.
Camry by Kyle Busch
In order to get this car ready for SEMA, 2015 NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series champion Kyle Busch teamed up with designer Chuck Gafrarar
and you're looking at the end-result of that collaboration. Busch branded this
car the 'Camry Rowdy Edition'.
What makes it stand out compared to a regular Camry
would be the 20" forged custom wheels, not to mention the black-themed
exterior. The car also has a bare metal finish on the handcrafted rear wing,
front splitter and rear diffuser, and a chrome wrap over the roof and
A-pillars.
Inside, it's got a custom leather upholstery with
red stitching and Rowdy Edition logos. It definitely looks sporty, for an
every-day family saloon that is.
Camry by Denny Hamlin
Hamlin's idea of a sporty Camry is something that
would feel at home at Virginia International Raceway, while allowing you to
drive it away comfortably after you're done having fun. It features a widebody
conversion with 3-inch fender flares, big 20x10-inch wheels, a white and black
exterior, plus red chrome and black accents inside, to go with the black
leather on the Recaro bucket seats.
Other mods include an AEM cold air intake, K&N
filter, TRD-tuned stainless steel exhaust system, Tein coilover system, custom
brakes and a JBL sound system, in case the 3.5-liter V6 doesn't quite do it for
you.
Camry by Martin Truex Jr
Martin Truex Jr teamed up with Motorsports Technical
Center in order to build a road-going version of his #78 Camry Cup Car. Finding
the right shade of black for the exterior apparently took six tries, whereas
all bits of chrome trim were treated with cobalt Cerakote as all surfaces then
received a matte clear coat. The design is similar to Busch's Camry, but a
little more rugged.
Even the wheels were forged as replicas of the
wheels on Truex Jr's Cup Car. Furthermore, a custom front splitter and rear lip
spoiler were created to give this Camry additional downforce, whether it was
for the highway or the racetrack.
Camry by Daniel Suarez
2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year Daniel
Suarez wanted to create the "ultimate street-friendly yet track-ready
Camry", something both elegant as well as sporty.
As you can see, the dual-tone color scheme features
a pearl-white body with contrasting black roof and A-pillars. Carbon fiber
components were also strategically placed in order to drop some weight.
Similarly to Truex Jr, Suarez also added a front splitter and a rear wing in
order to produce usable downforce. He then went with a custom hood with
aluminum ductwork, and leather upholstery for the interior, featuring the
driver's signature stitched in red.
Camry by Rutledge Wood
TV analyst Rutledge Wood's take on the 2018 Camry
might be the most attention-grabbing here. He teamed up with Real Time
Automotive Solutions in order to create this widebody road-going Camry,
inspired by the aerospace industry.
The car's custom body panels were created using
3D-printing technology, making the hood, front and rear bumpers, rocker panels,
rear diffuser and headlight buckets completely unique to this car. Once the
multi-piece widebody kit went on, the car was painted with a custom color named
"Blurple" and lowered on top of the 20" Rotiform alloy wheels.
As for the interior, it was re-upholstered in
"baseball glove" leather with contrasting stitching.