Toyota's rolled out a one-off truck with a gargantuan 8-liter turbodiesel engine and enough towing capacity to haul the tanker of fuel you'd need to keep it going. Toyota calls it the Tundra Diesel Dually, but it might just as well be called the Tundrasaurus.
Everything about the Diesel Dually says big, from its 488 cubic inch engine and 22.5-inch wheels to its impressive 12-ton towing capacity. The truck, which rumbled into the big SEMA auto industry trade show for a second straight year, might seem like an exercise in bad timing. After all, auto sales have cratered and no one's buying big hulking trucks anymore. But there's still a market heavy-duty trucks, and technological advances like direct injection and cylinder deactivation are making them more efficient than ever. The pace of innovation will accelerate over the next 12 to 15 years as diesel-electric hybrid drivetrains and cleaner, more efficient HCCI diesel engines become commonplace.
The odds Toyota will actually produce the Diesel Dually are slim to none, given the current state of the global economy, the volatility of fuel prices and the state of Toyota's finances. But it's still an impressive piece of machinery.
Toyota stretched the frame of an otherwise sedate Tundra 6.5 inches before stuffing the engine bay with the giant high-torque six-cylinder diesel its affiliate Hino puts in its heavy-duty rigs. Add an Eaton five-speed transmission and dually rear axle and you've got a driveline heartier than the meat-lovers chili on Rose Bowl weekend.
Exterior mods include 22.5-inch aluminum wheels, a diamond plate bed liner and a sweet matte gray paint job. The tough exterior gives way to an opulent interior decked out in leather and suede. Of course it's chock full of gadgets, including a Kenwood stereo system, individual DVD players and a navi system.
Photos by Toyota.
