SEMA 2013: Toyota Goes To SEMA Bringing Rally Cars And Trucks With Them!

Welcome to the first installment of my SEMA 2013 coverage!  Yes, I may be a bit late but due to a few scheduling conflicts I had to cover the entire show (or as much as I could) in just one day (Thursday).  Actually I was able to squeeze a little more in on Friday.  Either way I have over 700 pictures coming your way that will be spaced out over a few posts.  I am kicking things off with some OEM showings at SEMA starting with Toyota.  Really Toyota was there in three different ways (if you count Lexus and Scion) but it looks like this year they really wanted to put some show muscle behind their main brand by bringing some serious race inspired cars and crazy trucks.

The first car to immediately get my attention was the “CamRally” built by Kyle Busch Motorsports (yes, that Kyle Busch) and Parker Kilgerman.  They transformed a V6 Camry into a full on turbo-charged rally car complete with wide fenders, rally lights, and an old school Toyota racing livery.  It was definitely one of my favorites in the booth.  The only downside is that despite all of its genuine motorsport parts and fabrication they seem to have left the stock automatic transmission in tact.

The next car that caught my eye was a Corolla with a weird “rally inspired street car” theme built by headphone company SkullCandy.  Honestly, their build was a bit confusing as its exterior looked race inspired but the interior was totally cushy yet there were also accessories like custom bike racks that suggest that this build was made to target BMX enthusiasts.  I’d have to say my favorite thing about this car is how they made the seat headrests look like headphone cups!

Besides the Camry and Corolla all the other vehicles at Toyota’s booth were trucks and SUVs.  Oakley Sunglasses built a 4 runner that would be any snowboarders dream as it was equipped with various custom board racks and even a built in warm snack station complete with grill and coffee maker!  Although I have to say my favorite SUV and my favorite vehicle in the Toyota booth was the SpongeBob Squarepants 4 runner!  The team from the tv show TANKED literally turned the 4 runner into a giant SpongeBob themed aquarium!  In fact there wasn’t even an engine.  It was yanked out and replaced with all the pumps and filters needed to run the fish tank.  It was definitely an awesome sight.

Beyond that there was a trio of Toyota Tundra trucks; the most extreme coming from Joe Gibbs Racing’s Moto X team which transformed the Tundra into a full on Moto X support vehicle.  DC Shoes brought a Tundra complete with raised tent and snowmobile deck for winter camping.  To further drive home the snow theme they coated the entire truck with white rhino lining material.  Finally there was an “Ultimate BBQ Tundra” built by Jesse James and designed by famous Texan BBQ Chef Tim Love.  The duo pretty much turned the bed of the Tundra into one big grill!

That about wraps up the Toyota booth but stay tuned for more SEMA 2013 coverage!