1994 Toyota Celica, No Reserve on 2040-cars

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Toyota Mirai officially first hydrogen-powered pace car

In addition to the chance to see bumper-to-bumper racing in a unique atmosphere, the roar of V8 engines is one of the things that compel people to attend NASCAR events, rather than watching them from the couch on TV. The front end of the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway was a whole lot quieter, though, because the 2016 Toyota Mirai made its debut as a pace car there. Outfitted with a light bar and a special livery, the Mirai became the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle to ever pace a NASCAR race and led the cars to the green flag for Saturday night's Sprint Cup round. The sedan was tested prior to the event to prove it had the performance required to lead the 43-car field. "Bringing the Mirai to Richmond to pace this important race is another way for Toyota to showcase our innovation and environmental leadership," Ed Laukes, company vice president of marketing, performance, and guest experience, said. There's some precedent for Toyota to show off its green credentials to the NASCAR audience. In 2009, a Camry Hybrid paced the Coca-Cola 600. The automaker's fuel cell tech already had a maiden motorsport outing, too. Late last year, the FCV Concept, which previewed the Mirai, was the zero car to check the roads for the Shinshiro Rally in Japan. TOYOTA MIRAI TAKES TO THE TRACK 23/04/15 Mirai Will Pace Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Mirai Is First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle to Pace a NASCAR Race RICHMOND, VA. (April 23, 2015) – Toyota today announced the 2016 Toyota Mirai, a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, will pace the Toyota Owners 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night, April 25. Today's approval allows the Mirai to serve as the first hydrogen-fueled vehicle to pace a NASCAR race. It will lead the Sprint Cup Series field to the green flag at Richmond on Saturday night and emit only water out of its tailpipe along the way. "Having a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle pace the Toyota Owners 400 is a historic moment for both Toyota and NASCAR and we're proud it's the Toyota Mirai," said Ed Laukes, vice president of marketing, performance and guest experience, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.

2014 Toyota Tundra

Raising A White Flag To The Competition
We all benefit from highly competitive battles. In the automotive sector, few campaigns are so closely fought as the decades-long struggle for supremacy in the fullsize half-ton pickup truck segment. The Ford F-150 has dominated for ages, but Chevrolet, Ram and GMC have been closing the gap with freshly redesigned trucks that are rocking the industry.
Today's half-ton trucks are better than they've ever been, and we have fierce competition to thank for that.

Toyota planning radical open-wheel sports car concept

Word has it that Toyota is planning a rather radical new sports car concept for debut later this year. According to Australia's Motoring website, the project calls for an open-wheel, three-seat sports car concept. It's tipped to pack a 1.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain inside a narrow nose, driving around 100 horsepower through a CVT to the rear wheels. Made largely of carbon fiber, the concept is tipped to pack a similar footprint to the Mazda MX-5 Miata, only with open (but likely fendered) wheels – sort of like on a Caterham Seven – and a three-seat cockpit with a central driving position. The concept is expected to debut at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show late in October. If reactions are positive enough, the Japanese industrial giant could even put it into production by 2017. Pictured above is the Motor Triathalon Race Car concept which Toyota unveiled at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show, featuring an open tandem cockpit, open wheels with individual electric motors, and a virtual-reality helmet. Naturally, that show car never made it to production, but we're looking forward to seeing this next one take shape. News Source: Motoring.com.au Green Tokyo Motor Show Toyota Concept Cars Hybrid Performance Tokyo 2015