Topless Toyota Land Cruiser ROX Rocks Las Vegas
It’s a Toyota Land Cruiser lover’s dream machine.
Toyota has built an open-top version of the new Land Cruiser it calls the ROX for the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
The production version of the Land Cruiser is only offered as a hard-top truck.
The build was created by Toyota’s Calty Design Research in Ann Arbor, Mich., and envisions what a more direct Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco competitor might look like.
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“We asked ourselves how we could make an even more exciting experience for our Land Cruiser enthusiast but from a real product perspective,” Kevin Hunter, president at Calty Design Research, said in a news release.
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“Using Land Cruiser 250 [the codename for the current generation] as a base, we modified the body to open it up, expanding the usability, functionality and overall fun outdoor experience.”
Over 50% of the truck needed to be modified for the transformation and Toyota used factory spec stamping equipment for the new body parts. It features “skeleton doors” with open bottoms, high clearance rockers and rock rails and roof rails with an accordion-style retractable soft top above the seats and Molle panels at the rear.
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The truck gets a four-inch lift and rides on an eight-inch wider track courtesy of a set of forged aluminum control arms. A set of wide fender flares covers massive mud-terrain tires wrapped around 18-inch single-piece billet wheels. Custom steel bumpers are equipped with recovery hooks and there is a brush guard and integrated winch up front.
The cargo area has been redesigned as a pickup-style bed with a front wall, which is a midgate that can open into the cabin to extended the floor. The fold-down tailgate has also been fitted with seat bottoms that can be used when it is open.
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The interior of the Spring Green truck is dressed in Heritage Orange leather with webbing on the door panels that can be used to secure items like sunglasses.
The Land Cruiser is offered exclusively with a hybrid powertrain rated at 326 hp and 465 lb-ft that’s based around a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder, which was not modified for the ROX.
“This ambitious, one-of-a-kind build, is a testament to Toyota’s commitment to pushing boundaries while staying true to the spirit of adventure that the Land Cruiser embodies,” Mike Tripp, group vice president, Toyota Division Marketing, Toyota Motor North America, said.
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“The Land Cruiser ROX is a reminder of what Land Cruiser has always been, and an invitation to Land Cruiser fans who will appreciate experiencing the great outdoors in an entirely new way. We can’t wait to see how they react.”
They’d better not get too excited, because Toyota hasn’t announced any plans to put something like the Land Cruiser ROX into production … yet.
Toyota will be showing off several custom vehicles at the industry show, which runs from Nov. 5-8 and has also revealed another topless truck. It’s a 2025 Toyota 4Runner that’s been turned into a two-door with a shortened wheelbase and a removable roof for the rear of the cabin that’s light enough to be removed by one person.
Additional mechanical modifications include billet aluminum control arms, custom front axles, upgraded steering, the rear end differential housing from a Toyota Tundra and a set of 17-inch wheels with 37-inch tires.Up front it has a. stout bash plate, brush bar and auxiliary LED lights. No changes were made to its 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, which is rated at 278 hp and 317 lb-ft, but old-school “Turbo” graphics were added to the body for a throwback look.
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The Land Cruiser has been on sale for several months and the 4Runner is expected to be in showrooms by the end of 2024. Both hail from Toyota’s legendary Tahara plant in Japan, but were designed with significant input from Toyota Motor North America with the U.S. market in mind.
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