One of the best-selling sedans in the United States in recent decades, the Camry is known mainly for its solid quality, good bang for the buck, and excellent reliability. It was never among the best looking vehicles in its niche and needless to say, Toyota received a lot of heat for that. This changed with the latest-generation Camry, which arrived with a decidedly sportier exterior design that borrows a few cues from the premium Lexus brand. The new styling was immediately transferred onto the NASCAR race car, which was used by four different teams and driven by more than 15 drivers during the 2017 season. Among them is Kyle Busch, who designed a custom Camry for the 2017 SEMA Show.

In second place in the Sprint Cup standings as of November 1, Busch teamed up with Chuck Gafrarar of Chuck G Fabrication, who collaborated with NASCAR race teams since 2002, to give already eye-catching sedan a bit of a twist design-wise. Busch also delved into the Toyota parts bin for performance-enhancing upgrades and called his creation the "Rowdy Edition II." If you're not familiar with the term, Busch uses the nickname "Rowdy" after Days of Thunder character Rowdy Burns. He's actually nicknamed "Shrub," as the younger brother of Kurt Busch (a shrub is a smaller bush, get it?), but let's face it, the Camry Shrub Edition doesn't sound as appealing.

Continue reading to learn more about the Toyota Camry Busch.

What makes the Toyota Camry Busch special

Despite being modded by a NASCAR driver, this Toyota Camry is not significantly more aggressive than the production model. Sure, it has just enough features to stand out, but it's more like the kind of sedan Kyle Busch would drive to the supermarket rather than a track-prepped four-door. Nevertheless, it's an interesting take on the sleek, new Camry. Although Busch decided to go with the factory black paint instead of a fancy hue, the A-pillars, the roof, and front bumper trim are finished in chrome, which provides a great contrast with the dark appearance of the car.

The only significant change to the production form of the new Camry is the custom, ducktail-style spoiler on the trunk lid. The element is obviously inspired from NACAR and has visible mounting rivets. The exterior is rounded off by oval "Rowdy Edition II" badges on the trunk lid and front doors.

Busch updated the interior too, adding smooth leather instead of the Camry's standard upholstery. The sedan also has brushed-metal trim on the dashboard, center console, and door panels, as well as silver accents on the seats. The contrast created with the overall black cabin is similar to the exterior. However, the interior sports an additional splash of color through the red stitching and the red "Rowdy" lettering and stripes on the seats. The sedan also features carbon-fiber trim, which is rather unusual for a Camry.

As far as performance updates go, Busch kept things simple and added just an AEM intake and a TRD exhaust. So there aren't any horsepower and acceleration gains, but it's likely that the sedan now has a more aggressive exhaust note.

Although not as spectacular as other SEMA Show concepts, the Rowdy Edition II is one of those cars that blends flashy and motorsport-inspired elements in a subtle and cool way. I'd definitely like to see this show car make it into production as a limited-edition model for NASCAR fans.

References

Toyota Camry

Read our full review on the 2018 Toyota Camry.

Read more news on the 2017 SEMA Show.