Own a Toyota Hilux but always dreamt of a Tundra? Or maybe you want a Tundra but without the potentially wallet-flattening fuel bills from its twin-turbocharged V6 or massive V8. Well, a shop over in Thailand might have the solution…if you live there, that is.
Icon Cars is based in Ban Ban Bung, Chon Buri, and they specialize in ‘American style car decoration service.’ In essence, they can turn a midsize pickup into its much larger American counterpart. With that, the specialty shop just transformed a Toyota Hilux into a 7/8ths scale Tundra.
Granted, there have been several kits available that give the Hilux the Tundra look. However, many seem to look off or downright goofy. But Icon Cars did a fine job into scaling down the full-size pickup’s design to fit the Hilux. They didn’t just get bits from a Tundra and slapped it on a smaller truck. Loads of work and effort actually went in it.
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New panels had to be made, and the bumpers are a total custom job. The shop went as far as making a new bed just so the proportions look just right. Meanwhile, the lights look straight off the Tundra–yes, both front and rear.
The result? As far as we can tell, only the center part is recognizable as a Hilux, especially with that kink by the rear windows. Still, it looks convincing enough for the most part, and it doesn’t look like a lopsided conversion. We’ll even give props to the shop for modding its suspension, so the wheels look aligned with the rest of the body. Plus, the suspension upgrade means going off-road is definitely in the picture.
That said, we reckon the interior remains stock, and the same goes for its engine. That means either a 2.4-liter turbodiesel, or a punchier 2.8-liter. Power will depend on the donor car, of course, meaning 148hp, 177hp, or 201hp, depending on what year or version you have. Sure, you can use a 221hp Hilux GR-S as a donor vehicle, but we’re not too sure about doing this to a relatively brand-new version.
But if you have an older Hilux and willing to strip off major panels, you’re probably wonder how much this conversion goes for. Well, all the effort Icon Cars put in to make it look right won’t be cheap, and the same goes for the fabrication, installation, and paint. Per Carscoops, the kit alone will set you back 350,000 THB or around P596,200. If you include installation, paint, and the suspension upgrades, we reckon it’ll shoot up to about a million pesos, and that doesn’t include the donor vehicle yet.
Speaking of donor, this kit will fit seventh (Vigo) and eighth-generation (Revo) models of the Hilux. So, if you have money to burn and have a ten or twenty-year old model that’s just lying around, this Tundra kit might be for you.
