Toyota TRD Tundra: 2017 Custom 4x4OTY contender

No dreams are out of reach – just ask the team at American Vehicle Specialists (AVS) and you can go beyond the norm and end up behind the wheel of something like this uber-tough Toyota TRD Tundra.

Vote for the Toyota TRD Tundra to win 2017 Custom 4x4 of the Year

Yep, we know – Aussies are unfortunately not given the chance to buy these big rigs through local Toyota dealers, but AVS can sort out a right-hand drive version that looks and performs no different from the ones that trundle around US tracks. They can even go one almighty big step further and tweak the standard rig to produce something like this.

This Tundra is a one-off project from AVS and sports a raft of mods, not the least being the supercharged 5.7-litre V8 petrol engine. In stock form the Tundra’s ‘regular’ 284kW-543Nm 5.7-litre V8 is impressive, but AVS thought a bit more stonk was necessary, fitting a Magnuson supercharger (courtesy of VCM Performance), pushing power to 410kW and torque to a heady 745Nm.

Custom Toyota Tundra Platinum Edition

A TRD twin stainless steel exhaust system lets you know all about it, too.

Not wanting to stop there, AVS set to work on the body itself. This matte black bruiser is 230mm wider than the stock Tundra, courtesy of a set of FiberwerX replacement guards. AVS then widened the wheel track by 120mm via fitment of a long-travel suspension setup that pretty much ditched all the stock gear.

Pro Comp 2.75-inch body internal bypass coilover dampers (which up the ride height by four inches) sport external reservoirs and work with replacement cast alloy upper and lower control arms, with more robust ball joints enabling a huge 350mm of wheel travel up front. Additional work on the front end includes extended CV shafts and tie-rod extensions.

The rear end copped a similar working over; a Pro Comp kit lifts it by four inches, with additional leaf springs and longer shackles, combining with a 2.5-inch damper, behind the height gain. AVS filled those huge guards with a set of 35-inch Toyo Open Country M/Ts, wrapped around XD Monster 20x9 alloy wheels.

US-based Rock Slide Engineering were the go-to for the Tundra barwork; the heavy-duty plate aluminium front bar houses an Ironman 4x4 12,000lb winch and it has provision for LED lighting in the centre and at either wing.

Speaking of lighting up, a replacement Rigid Industries grille sports a 20-inch Rigid Industries E-Series light bar in the centre and D-Series LEDs on each wing. Replacement front headlights and rear tail-lights are courtesy of Spyder Auto.

Oh, and the schmick paint-job? Rob at RK Restorations waved his spray can over the big Toyota and the matte black wrap was applied by Exotic Graphics. It seems we’re back in black, indeed...