Toyota has a rich history of building outlandish one-off projects, but none of them can match the wild nature of this Land Cruiser. Built to break the world record for the fastest SUV, Toyota named this three-row, body-on-frame beast the Land Speed Cruiser. The play on works helps the reality of the project sink in. Engineers had to make a 5,800-pound SUV perform like a sports car in order to break the 211-mph top speed record in the SUV category. The stock 5.7-liter V-8 was heavily modified to make more than 2,000 horsepower, while the suspension was given new life with high-dollar speed parts.

The Land Cruiser’s interior also received a handful of updates like a FIA-certified racing seat and roll cage, along with information displays for keeping tabs on the mechanicals. Surprisingly, the rest of the interior remains factory. The wood grain and leather steering wheel, dashboard, and center console are all intact. A new shifter replaces the stock unit, however, as Toyota updated the gearbox with a new racing transmission designed for the extra power and speed. And all but the driver’s seat was removed for weight reduction. Toyota then put former NASCAR driver Carl Edwards behind the wheel at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. So how fast did the Land Speed Cruiser go? Keep reading for the official speed.

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Toyota engineers worked the Land Cruiser into something far more sinister than a traditional 4WD SUV. Work was put in at Toyota’s Arizona Proving grounds with speeds reaching over 200 mph before the team moved to Majave’s longer, two-mile runway. The engineering team threw some serious modifications at the stock engine to generate enough power to overcome the Land Cruiser’s brick-like aerodynamics. The Land Cruiser’s 5.7-liter V-8 was given all-new internals with a larger bore and stroke. Displacing 6.2 liters, the engine was then fitted with two massive Garrett turbochargers generating 55 pounds of boost. A custom intercooler has an ice reservoir for keeping air temperatures down, while a hand-built, polished intake manifold delivers the boosted air into the dual-overhead cam V-8. The resulting horsepower ranges between 1,500 and 2,000, depending on the ECU tune.

The suspension was also heavily reworked. The factory shocks were ditched in favor of Fox Racing shocks and the brakes were swapped for high-performance parts. Obviously, the ride height was dropped down to the bare minimum and underbody aero plating was added to control airflow. The frame rails were carved out and reinforced to make room for the super wide Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires mounted on five-spoke wheels.

These modifications were all necessary for the Land Speed Cruiser to break the previous top speed record made by an SUV at 211 mph. With Carl Edwards suited up and the two-mile runway clear of traffic, the Land Speed Cruiser began attempting the record. “At 225 mph, the thing was wandering a little bit,” Edwards said. “All I could think was that Craig said, ‘No matter what, just keep your foot in it,’” He certainly did just that as the Land Speed Cruiser sped up another five mph, ultimately hitting 230.02 mph, breaking the previous record by 19 mph. “It’s safe to say that this is the fastest SUV on the planet,” Edwards said after the high-speed runs were completed.

As you can imagine, Toyota has absolutely zero plans to mass produce the Land Speed Cruiser or anything remotely as powerful. If you’re looking for outrageous horsepower in an SUV, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has you covered with the 475-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT and the 707-horsepower Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.