1.0 - What is the Toyota Tundra ?
Description
This article is from the Toyota Tundra FAQ, by Steve Yee with numerous contributions by others.
1.0 - What is the Toyota Tundra ?
History - The Toyota Tundra is Toyota Motor Corporation's second attempt at
producing a full size truck for the American marketplace. It's predecessor is
the Toyota T-100. (The T-100 never really took off in the American market due
to two primary reasons: A V6 Engine was the biggest you could get, and the
truck was not made in America, so it was subject to heavy import tariffs.)
Prototypes of the Tundra was released to Toyota Motorsports particpants (PPI
Racing with Ivan Stewart, and Rod Millen Motorsports) in 1998, starting rumor
mills worldwide as to the possible replacement of the T-100. It first began as
an engine upgrade to the existing T-100 racing variant from a V6 to a V8.
Publically introduced in it's closest current form at various motor shows from
1998 to 1999, the Toyota Tundra was originally called the "T-150". Caught in a
blizzard of bad press from both Ford Motor Corporation (who thought it would
confuse people with the F150) and automotive critics, the name was changed to
Tundra. To read an article on the T-150 and see pictures of a concept T-150,
the New England TTORA (Tacoma Territory Off Roader's Association) has a copy of
the article at http://webm3233.ntx.net/putnam/ttora/junk/t150.htm .
The 2000 and 2001 model year Tundras are half ton, full size pickups. They can
be purchased in the following combinations:
2dr 4x2 Regular Cab Base
2dr 4x2 Access Cab SR5
4dr 4x2 Access Cab SR5 V8
4dr 4x2 Access Cab LTD V8
2dr 4x4 Regular Cab SR5
2dr 4x4 Regular Cab SR5 V8
4dr 4x4 Access Cab SR5
4dr 4x4 Access Cab SR5 V8
4dr 4x4 Access Cab LTD V8
All Tundras share the same frame and wheelbase, therefore, only a limited
number of configurations are available compared to other manufacturers. There
are no larger configurations with heaver payload capacity.
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