A number of years back, Top Gear famously drove a group of thoroughly modified Toyota Hilux pickup trucks to the North Pole, and in the process became the first vehicle-bound travelers to reach magnetic north. It was a testament to the vehicles’ inherent ‘Toyota toughness as well as the modifications by the Icelandic firm Arctic Trucks.
Built upon the sturdy base of a 2010 Tacoma Double Cab, ‘Polar’ features an extensive list of upgrades to go along with its NATO green vinyl wrap and off-roady looks. The Toyota draws power from its TRD-supercharged 4.0-liter V6, good for a beefy 380 horsepower, and feeds that grunt to all four tires … monstrous 44-inch Mickey Thompson Icepack tires. A 330-gallon, extended-range fuel tank finds itself tucked in the rear, and a hard-pulling 9-ton winch comes mounted up front. As you’ve surely guessed, the truck’s suspension has been overhauled to fit the up-sized tires and to cope with the challenging polar terrain.
Inside, the cabin features various switchgear for the truck’s suite of ARB air-lockers and compressors, a roll-cage, Garmin GPS navigation system (oddly, a turn-by-turn unit nonetheless), and OMP WRC racing seats. High mileage? Hardly, the Tacoma ‘Polar’ shows a mere 14,281 miles on the odometer, though most of them were most likely spent enduring incredible punishment.
Along with the pickup comes a variety of historical documentation from the journey, including various photographs from the expedition, survival guides, and – what we presume to be quite scarce – a driver’s license for Antarctica.
It’s a rare piece of history, and quite an expensive one at that. According to the auction, this Arctic Trucks build came with a whopping $400,000 price tag. Anybody hoping to snag a no-reserve deal when this bad boy crosses the block?
No comments:
Post a Comment