Toyota Dragquoia To Set The Tarmac On Fire At SEMA
Weight is the enemy when it comes to drag racing success, but you wouldn't know that by looking at the 'DragQuoia' full-size SUV that Toyota has put together for this week's SEMA show. What is the 'DragQuoia,' you might ask? It's a version of the Toyota Sequoia sport-utility vehicle that has been outfitted with a supercharged V8 engine that produces 650 horsepower and also offers an additional kick in the pants via a custom nitrous system. Enormous rear tires are present and accounted for to get that grunt down to the pavement, and the vehicle has had almost 1,000 kg removed from its chassis by TRD engineers in order to help it burn down the quarter mile in just 10 seconds.
Check out the press release from Toyota below to learn more about how the 'DragQuoia' came about.
NHRA Driver Antron Brown Launches Radical Toyota Sequoia Dream Build
Dubbed the 'DragQuoia,' Brown Goes Extreme with Family Dragster Concept
TORRANCE, Calif., (Oct. 20, 2012) – NHRA Top Fuel points leader Antron Brown has hatched an extreme concept for his Sequoia in the Toyota Racing Dream Build Challenge (www.ToyotaRacingDreamBuild.com). Straight line speed is what Top Fuel is all about, and Brown left no stone unturned to make sure his vehicle is the fastest of the four in the competition.
"It's...a special vehicle with a little hint of NHRA twisted all the way in it, with a lot of horsepower," Brown said. "It's fast...from my house to the grocery store!"
Brown's "DragQuoia" family dragster features massive 21.5-inch wide rear tires, 650 plus horsepower from a TRD-supercharged engine with nitrous, and extensive custom chassis fabrication. But making a nine to 10 second Sequoia also means it has to be light. To that end, the team removed over 1,600 lbs. of "non-essential" weight.
To make it family friendly, there are individual racing seats for four, each with its own five-point racing harness, plus a child-size version with harness in the back so junior can get in on the action. A full custom roll cage and a tail-mounted parachute enhance the safety factors in this radical build.
But the competition is fierce. NASCAR driver Kyle Busch created a "Rowdy" edition Camry, Clint Bowyer produced a Tekked-Out Prius, while NHRA Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria converted a Tundra pickup truck into a beastly desert pre-runner. Though the drivers are competing for glory against one another, the real victor will be the winning driver's charity of choice, which will receive a $50,000 check from Toyota.
Voting will open on Oct. 20 and will continue through Oct. 29. Fans will be able to vote once per day via Toyota Racing's Facebook page and enter to win prizes, including a Toyota Racing "Dream Trip", which will be given away to one lucky fan.
The final vehicle builds will be unveiled at a press conference in the Toyota display at the SEMA show in Las Vegas on Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. local time. Fans will be able to tune in live to watch the entire press conference on the Toyota Racing Facebook page or LiveStream.com/Toyota and see the winner announced in real time.
