The Tacozilla fits the mold quite nicely, helped right along by its beautifully retro golden-tan/orange/bronze striped paint job and, of course, the fact that Toyota doesn't actually have to create a viable price point for the SEMA one-off, leaving us to imagine strolling into the local Toyota dealership and picking a spartan base model up for little more than a nicely equipped Tacoma pickup. As much as we admire the company's work, a US$325K fully loaded, carbon fiber masterpiece doesn't quite fit the mold of a simple, nostalgic off-road truck camper. Just a few months ago, overland startup TruckHouse introduced its take on a Toyota Sunrader revival, a state-of-the-art Tacoma camper truck with a gorgeous interior. It may be but a SEMA one-off, but if there was ever a time the world needed a Toyota-badged camper capable of going "anywhere on this planet," while looking good doing it, that time is now. The brand-new Tacozilla marries a rugged Tacoma TRD Sport pickup chassis and a custom-built "micro-house" into an amazing, little 4x4 micro-RV that's precise and nimble on the trail and roomy and livable overnight. Nevertheless, it looks ready to take on the challenge of the Mint 400 next March.Digging into its illustrious history, Toyota introduces a spiritual successor to the Toyota camper trucks of the 1970s and 80s. In the meantime, check out more on Camburg’s website, and stay here on Off Road Xtreme for more sweet off-road content!Ĭamburg Engineering did minimal changes to this Tacoma, altering only the upper control arms and pickup bed. We look forward to seeing how it does while we’re out there next March. Given Camburg’s esteemed history and focus on always building top-tier parts, we expect this is one Tacoma that will do very well at the upcoming Mint 400.
It will be a lot of fun to beat up this truck at the 2017 Mint 400 and see how it does.” They’re a tried and true platform for off-roading, and we’ve built components for the previous 2005 to 2015 generation. “I’ve always liked the suspension on these trucks. “My favorite part about this build is that we get to race a brand new Tacoma,” said Zaiden. The aesthetics of this Tacoma look incredible in person. The Camburg touch comes in the form of upgraded billet aluminum Kinetik upper control arms, as well as the custom rear bedcage to mount the longer, beefier shocks. To that end, the Tacoma sports Fox three-inch bypass shocks on all four corners, providing about 14 inches of travel in the rear and 9 inches of travel in the front. We’ve kept the drivetrain totally stock, but upgraded the chassis and suspension as much as we’re allowed to by Best In The Desert rules.” They sent us the truck about two months ago, and this is the result.”Īsked what the goal of the build was, Zaiden said: “We aimed to take a stock Tacoma TRD Pro and build it into a race truck, make sure it meets the rules for the Mint 400, and showcase what it’s really capable of. “We approached Toyota about the idea of racing one of these new TRD Pro Tacomas, and they got very excited. “It was our idea to start this build,” said Zaiden.
We talked with CEO Jerry Zaiden to get a better sense of how this Taco came to be. As a matter of fact, the truck is eventually destined to race next year in a very important event. From its carbon fiber-esque wrap to its glowing red wheels, the Tacoma had the looks to go with its serious off-road credentials, which is something Camburg prides itself on.