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Toyota Camry Dragster takes the phrase 'sleeper' to its logical extreme [w/video]

Sometimes, looks can be deceiving. This is certainly one of those times, as Toyota successfully trolled the entirety of the media corps at the 2014 SEMA Show by rolling an innocent-looking Camry onto the floor... only to lift literally the entirety of its body to reveal an 850-horsepower, tube-framed dragster. Well, we have been asking for a more driver-oriented Toyota.
While it's designed to go fast in a straight line, the origin of the Camry Dragster's parts might be surprising. The 5.7-liter V8 engine, transmission, rear axle and electronics were plucked from the Toyota Tundra pickup. Toyota Racing Development donated a supercharger, while a wet-nitrous-injection system was also tacked on for that little extra something. Those goodies will help propel this anonymous looking monster through the quarter mile in just 9.8 seconds.
"This is the most extreme build we've ever unveiled at SEMA," said Toyota's motorsports chief Steve Appelbaum said in a statement. "The transformation from seemingly stock Camry to full-blown racecar just shocks the senses. Chuck Wade and the team at Motorsports Technical Center did a truly spectacular job executing the vision of this project."

Toyota GT86 convertible could debut in March

The dates are lining up, now we wait to see how the badges align. Just before the Toyota GT 86/Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ line-up was introduced at the Tokyo Motor Show last year, there was a report that Subaru was considering a convertible while Toyota wouldn't even comment on it. That got swapped around when earlier this year the chief engineer on Toyota's side said a convertible was coming, and then a Scion FR-S droptop was confirmed for early 2014.
Autocar now reports that the Toyota GT 86 convertible will make its first appearance at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show in March. In a car whose specs like weight, packaging, horsepower and center of gravity were all tightly controlled to get the most from the least, the changes necessitated by chopping the roof could make this a very different car. It's said to employ a fabric roof to keep a "small" weight gain check, and the suspension will be softened to work more harmoniously with the decreased body stiffness. And somewhere in all that the back seat and trunk space will need to take a hit.
In other news, Autocar says the hi-po GT 86 with some kind of capacitor system instead of batteries is being worked on for 2015.

Lexus F performance SUV could be in the works

Amid the wave of SUVs and crossovers that has crashed down on the industry, several high-performance sporting SUVs have washed up and started to fill a separate growing niche. It's an idea that Lexus is contemplating, according to a new report, with a possible F-branded utility vehicle focusing on either on- or off-road specialties. At the Rolex 24 in Daytona, Florida, Motor1 learned that incorporating a crossover or SUV into Lexus' F performance division has been under "active discussion." That doesn't necessarily mean a hotted-up utility vehicle, however. According to the report, F could translate to a different type of performance on the SUV, specifically for off-road capabilities. Using the F badge in this way would be a huge departure from what it has meant during the brand's 10-year history. Lexus currently offers the sport-focused RC F and the GS F, with an LC F expected soon. Should Lexus decide to lean further into the sport performance methodology with its utility vehicles, the newly released UX and the NX would likely be the top candidates. That said, Lexus does have two highly competent off-road vehicles in the Lexus GX and LX. Plus, Toyota, Lexus' parent brand, has been producing some of the best off-road vehicles on the market for years. As of now, this is just talk, but the way SUV and crossover sales have been going, we'd expect an F-branded Lexus SUV in the near future. Which kind of enthusiast it's for remains to be seen. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.