Toyota is pushing the boundaries of market segments as we know them at this year’s SEMA show. In addition to a 26-foot long, nine-seater limousine based on the Tundra truck, the company is displaying a heavily-modified Sienna minivan that’s designed specifically to hit the track.
The sports van — a phrase combining two terms that, at first glance, seem to be mutually exclusive — was built with input from a California-based performance shop named DG-Spec. Dubbed Sienna R-Tuned, the concept gains performance wheels and tires, racing brake pads on all four corners, and a new suspension setup that includes track-proven parts such as double-adjustable shocks, a custom rear ride-height adjust system, as well as racing springs designed by Vogtland.
Toyota managed to shave over 700 pounds from the Sienna’s weight by removing bulky components such as the second and third rows of seats, the rear A/C, and the roof rails. Additionally, the van has been upgraded with a carbon fiber hood, a lightweight battery, and front bucket seats with six-point harnesses.
What’s surprising is that the only major mechanical modification is the addition of a limited-slip differential. The Sienna R-Tuned is equipped with a bone-stock, 3.5-liter V6 engine that makes 266 horsepower and 245 pound-feet of torque, and a six-speed automatic transmission sourced directly from the Toyota parts bin.
When it’s done hauling kids to and from baseball practice, the Toyota Sienna R is capable of racing around the 1.7-mile long Willow Springs race track in one minute and 27 seconds. By comparison, the 2015 Chevrolet Camaro SS — which boasts a massive, 6.2-liter V8 rated at 426 hp — is a full second slower.
Speed junkies who can’t wait to take their kids to school in a hot-rodded, Camaro-punching minivan shouldn’t hold their breath. The Sienna R-Tuned is simply a concept designed for the SEMA show, and Toyota isn’t planning on building it.
