Toyota Special Editions Cars

As of the time of this writing, Europe and North America has only been graced with the 3.0-liter Toyota Supra. You know, the one that is rated at 335 horsepower and 365 pound-feet of torque, but was found to produce considerably more in not just one dyno run but two different dyno runs. Now, Toyota has announced that the four-cylinder Supra is coming to Europe (we’re sure it’ll come to North America soon, too) and, the truth is that it comes with a number of quirks that makes it a much better choice over the six-cylinder model. Now, let me tell you why.

The Toyota Supra has arrived at the 2019 SEMA Auto Show, and in true form, we’re not just talking about one Supra at SEMA. Nope. There are multiple Supras in attendance at SEMA, each wearing a different alter-ego. One of these models is called the Supra Heritage Edition. It’s the most subtle of the Supras in SEMA, but it’s also the one that we identify with the most. Part of the Supra Heritage Edition’s appeal is its connection to the aftermarket tuning world. Toyota created it as an homage to the tuning scene, something that past versions of the Supra were all very familiar with. Granted, the Supra Heritage Edition doesn’t boast any of the over-the-top madness that past custom Supras could claim, but as a celebration of the relationship between the nameplate and the aftermarket tuning scene, the Supra Heritage Edition is as good as it gets.

With a manufacturing facility sitting deep in the heart of the state, Toyota is always a lock to be in attendance at the Texas State Fair. Past years have shown the automaker debut models like the Toyota 4Runner Nightshade Edition to go with SX versions of the Toyota Tundra and Toyota Tacoma.

This year, Toyota is returning the to the fair with a more functionally inclined special edition model called the 4Runner Venture Edition. The exclusive touches are mostly of the cosmetic variety, but there’s enough of them in the 4Runner Venture Edition to go around to pique the interests of prospective owners of the special edition SUV. The Toyota 4Runner Venture Edition is already available for order so if you’ve got an eye for a new roof rack, among other things, you can buy Toyota’s latest special edition SUV for a tidy sum of $45,405.

The Toyota Corolla is one of the last cars you’d think of as being special. But something about the new Corolla TREK variant qualifies as “special.” It’s the latest addition to the Corolla Touring Sports estate lineup, and it’s a promising showcase of the Corolla Touring Sports’ understated versatility as a personal ride and a family hauler for those weekend adventures away from the city.

The Corolla TREK comes as a result of a collaboration between Toyota and bicycle manufacturer Trek. It’s a partnership that stems from a recent partnership between the two companies at this year’s Vuelta a Espana cycling race where 16 Corolla TREK models were used as support vehicles.

Well, they’re not support vehicles anymore. The Toyota Corolla TREK is now available for public consumption. Pricing details will be announced in the coming weeks — it’s estimated to cost around £29,000 ($36,00) — but order books are now open with the initial batch of deliveries scheduled to begin sometime before the year ends. Unfortunately, the Corolla TREK isn’t headed to the U.S. market.

Seven years after arriving in the auto scene, the Toyota 86 is somehow still going strong. At the very least, it’s going strong enough to warrant more special edition models from Toyota. Don’t look now — well, you can look now, or you should look now — but the newest special edition 86 is on its way, and it’s named after Japan’s most famous stretch of highway. The new special edition sports coupé is called the Toyota 86 Hakone Edition, and, believe it or not, it’s actually available in the U.S. Details on pricing and availability have yet to be revealed, but the model does go on sale the U.S. this fall.

The Toyota 86 will remain in our lives for the foreseeable future now that Toyota has confirmed plans to develop a next-generation model. But that isn’t coming until 2021. For now, Toyota is keeping the current-generation 86 fresh in our minds with the new British Green Limited Edition that’s available exclusively in Japan. The newest special edition 86 follows a similar blueprint as all the other special edition 86 models in the past. Most of the upgrades are aesthetic by nature, though there are a few performance bits added to compensate for the lack of an engine upgrade. Unfortunately, for us, at least, the 86 British Green Limited Edition is available only in Japan at a starting price of 3.318 million yen. Not that it matters to us, but that converts to around $30,000 based on current exchange rates.

Toyota simply loves to celebrate important dates with heritage editions of its cars. Especially ones involving the almighty Land Cruiser (per my humble opinion the best vehicle on Earth, like ever). Revealed ahead of the official live debut at the Chicago Motor Show next month, the Toyota Land Cruiser Heritage Edition celebrates 60+ years of the Land Cruiser in the US. Although the Land Cruiser 200 is a decade old, it is still very much at the pinnacle of luxurious world of off-roaders. The Heritage Edition did gain a few interesting differentiating touches, but in essence, it is still very much the same body-on-frame truck with a two-speed transfer case and selectable low gear that it was a decade ago.

During its ten year tenure on the market, Toyota celebrated a number of anniversaries and important dates with the Land Cruiser 200. In 2013, Toyota said that the “Land Cruiser is the Luxurious Descendant of A Proud 50-Year Off-Road Heritage” In 2014 Toyota said that the “Land Cruiser Luxury SUV Doesn’t Look A Day Over 50” In 2016 Toyota mentioned that the “Land Cruiser Celebrates 60th Year in America with Ultimate Capability and Luxury” And, finally, in 2019 - “Land Cruiser Heritage Edition Celebrates 60+ Years as SUV Icon”

Like most new cars these days, the new Toyota Supra is coming with a first-off-the-line version called the Launch Edition. Based on the sports car’s Premium trim, the Supra Launch Edition sets itself apart from the standard Supra through a number of special details and exclusive touches. Only 1,500 units of the Supra Launch Edition will be available, all of which are earmarked for the U.S. market. The first-production Supra is included in the first 1,500 units. Unfortunately, no one’s going to get it anymore since it was already auctioned off at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona for a whopping $2.1 million. The Supra Launch Edition, on the other hand, starts off at just $55,250.

Toyota is once again rolling out a lineup of special edition Nightshade Editions, this time at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show. Months after introducing Nightshade SE versions for the 4Runner, Tacoma, and Tundra, the Japanese automaker is giving the Camry sedan and the Highlander SUV the same treatment. Both special edition models will be in attendance in Los Angeles before going on sale in 2019.

The Toyota Racing Development division, or TRD, has finally set its sights on Toyota’s Camry and Avalon sedans. The TRD-seasoned sporty versions will drop at the upcoming L.A. Auto Show confirming Toyota’s drive towards performance cars and trucks.

The Avalon and Camry sedans are really good cars in their own way but they never really had any claim to performance. Now, however, with the involvement of TRD, that’s all about to change. Both the mid-size Camry and the full-size Avalon have been peaked at in an announcement released by the Japanese manufacturer which states that the new models will drop at the end of the month.

Keep reading to learn more about the TRD Avalon and Camry

A unique Toyota Tundra showed up at the 2018 SEMA Auto Show with Kevin Costner’s imprints all over it. The Hollywood A-lister hooked up with Toyota to build a custom Tundra Platinum that embraces Costner’s love for adventure and the outdoors. The one-off, custom-built creation is the ultimate adventure truck, fitting for a man whose famous for his love of the outdoors. They don’t make them as rough and tough as Kevin Costner; turns out, Toyota — and Working Complete Customs of McKinney, Texas — was up to the task of giving him a ride that suits his personality.

50 years have passed since the introduction of the first Toyota HiLux. The Japanese company is celebrating this wonderful achievement with the production of the limited-edition HiLux Invincible 50 which will be available in the U.K. from the 1st of November.

The new HiLux Invincible 50 comes with an assortment of upgrades that dramatically improve the looks, increase its capabilities, and once again demonstrate the “tough as nails” character of the most badass truck in the world.

This is the truck that conquered everything and proved time and again that it is the only vehicle to be a perfect companion in a calm Swedish village, a tool in the remote parts of Mongolia, and a freaking war machine in Africa. It can do it all. Celebrating the 50th anniversary with a version like this is the least Toyota can do. Well, I have to tell you that this is not the only way Toyota is celebrating the HiLux anniversary. It actually unveiled a whole set of Invincible vehicles and provided a trim called the Invincible x.

This particular model - the Toyota HiLux Invincible 50 was created in cooperation with Arctic Trucks - an Island-based company famed for its extraordinary transformation of HiLux trucks into incredibly worthy off-road machines. You may have heard about this company as they’ve actually crafted trucks that the TopGear team used to reach the North Pole. They were HiLuxes too.

For the last three-and-a-half decades, the Toyota 4Runner has been one of the go-to models for practical body-on-frame SUV adventure and outdoor cred. Now, the Japanese automaker is offering a new upgrade for the top Limited trim level. It’s dubbed the Nightshade Special Edition, and it adds a fresh coat of aesthetic appeal to the mid-size utility vehicle.

Toyota has unveiled the 4Runner Nightshade Special Edition at the Texas State Fair. Based on the Limited variant of the 4Runner, the Nightshade Special Edition features aesthetic changes on the full-sized SUV. A series of black details highlight the changes, a lot of which give the 4Runner a darkened appearance. The 4Runner Nightshade Special Edition $1,740 to the 4Runner’s sticker price of $43,225.

The Toyota 86 is lovely little machine, offering the simple pleasure of a small, lightweight RWD coupe that’s still relatively affordable for the masses. We said as much in our Driving Impression review a few years back, and our opinion hasn’t changed - we’re still duly impressed by this car’s tossability and fun-loving attitude. Now, Toyota is offering a new limited-run TRD Special Edition, and it promises even sharper handling chops mated with an aggressive and unique aesthetic. And no - it doesn’t come with any extra power. So don’t ask.

Continue reading to learn more about Toyota 86 TRD Special Edition.

As an automaker that has a long and proud history racing at Le Mans, Toyota is celebrating the race’s 86th installment by dressing a trio of GT86 sports coupes in the colors of some of its most iconic LMP1 racers. In an intentional move, Toyota unveiled the three dressed up sports coupes, called the 86 Le Mans Heritage, on June 8, or the eighth day of the year’s sixth month: 8-6. The puns are heavy on these three special edition GT86 models.

Toyota has given its TRD Pro lineup a welcomed update for 2019. That includes the Tundra, Tacoma, and this, the iconic 4Runner. While the changes are relatively small, they contribute to a more capable and more enjoyable off-road experience. From updated Fox Racing Shocks to a new roof rack, the updates keep the 4Runner from gong completely stale.

Continue reading for more on the 2019 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro.

Toyota is ending production of the FJ Cruiser more than a decade after the retro-styled SUV hit U.S. shores. But, if you’re like most, you thought the FJ Cruiser was dead since 2014 when it stopped sitting in Toyota showrooms here in the U.S. However, that’s not the case as the 4Runner-based SUV has been on-sale in Toyota’s home market of Japan. Toyota isn’t giving the FJ Cruiser a loveless ending, though. The automaker is releasing a special edition of the FJ Cruiser appropriately dubbed the “Final Edition.”

The FJ Cruiser Final Edition is a Japan-only model and comes in a single color option: Beige. The spartan interior also gets the beige treatment with beige center sections on the cloth seats and beige trim on the dashboard. Other changes include 20-inch alloy wheels, black side steps, and that cool JDM mirror on the front fender. Toyota isn’t changing anything with the drivetrain – and why would it? The FJ Cruiser has soldiered on for a decade with that tired 4.0-liter V-6 and five-speed automatic transmission. 4WD is most likely standard, but at the very least, is an option. Of course, the FJ Crusier’s most endearing quality is its ruggedness afforded by its body-on-frame construction, solid rear axle, independent front suspension, and its part-time 4WD system. An honest SUV was hidden under that retro bodywork and awkward interior. It was the FJ’s weirdness that both gained it a loyal following and ultimately brought its demise. Sales exceeding 55,000 in 2006 and 2007 quickly nosedived during the recession of 2008 and never recovered. Toyota only managed to sell 14,718 in 2014, making the bean counters’ decision to axe the SUV within the U.S. an easy one. Compare that to the 4Runner’s U.S. sales in 2014 of nearly 77,000 and its sales in 2016 of 112,000. It’s clear which body-on-frame SUV Toyota customers wanted.

Continue reading for more on the Toyota FJ Cruiser.

Hey, did you know the Toyota Hilux is a capable pickup that’s sold basically everywhere besides North America and is apparently indestructible against the best Jeremy Clarkson can throw its way? Of course, you know that since it’s practically common knowledge and rumored to be on driving tests in at least 95 countries. What you might not realize is Toyota has been selling the thing for half a century. Yep, 2018 marks the 50th birthday of the iconic Hilux pickup. Naturally, Toyota can’t let such an occasion pass without building some tribute, so here it is, the 2018 Hilux “Invincible 50.”

This Double Cab Hilux has several Toyota dealership parts bolted on, along with a custom wrap, all designed to grab attention at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. Toyota says the truck is “ideally suited to a broad range of both professional and leisure activities,” or basically, that a so-configured Hilux is at home on the job site and doing fun stuff on the weekend. Sounds like the automotive equivalent of a mullet hairstyle, right? Unlike the mullet, the Hilux’s popularity didn’t die in the 1990s. In fact, the truck is expected to sell more than 40,600 examples in Europe for 2017, besting its previous record of 40,104 sold in 2007. That’s pretty impressive, especially in a place where pickups aren’t the “it” vehicle to drive. Perhaps Toyota’s expectation rides on folks falling in love with the Hilux “invincible 50” and its customized flair. Probably not, but let’s have a close look at this one-off show truck.

Continue reading for more information.