Toyota Brings a NASCAR-Inspired V-8 Camry to SEMA

We’re not sure how many times—if ever—we’ve used the words “Camry” and “fun” in the same sentence. While Toyota proudly rumbled into SEMA with the car you see here, the shocking and awesome RK Collection Toyota Camry NASCAR Edition, we know that number is bound to stay low. Like most SEMA creations, it is a no-expense-spared one-off, this one dreamt up by a NASCAR team co-owner (with help from TRD). There’s pretty much no chance of it ever being reproduced even once, let alone in mass quantities.

But why dwell on that? At least there’s one, and this Camry looks like stupid fun. (See? We did it.) With a roll cage, a Tremec six-speed manual, and a 358-cubic-inch V-8 pumping out 680 horsepower at 8500 rpm, this is one Camry that no Impala SS or Fusion should make eye contact with on the street. And they’ll hear and see it coming, thanks to its three-inch exhaust plumbing as well as its kitted-out white-over-red body, which Rob Kauffman and friends redrew into a fetching two-door configuration.

The aggressive road stance is achieved by dropping the coupe onto its 20-  by 8-inch front and 20- by 10-inch rear wheels with modified Camry Macpherson struts in front and modified Venza-sourced multilink components out back.

Now, if this were an actual NASCAR racer, the interior would consist of little more than sponsor stickers and air, with a seat and steering wheel thrown in for the driver’s sake. But the RK Collection Camry is not an actual racecar; it’s a show car, which will even be paraded in front NASCAR fans on November 12 in Phoenix once its stint on the SEMA stand is through. Hence, it gets a leather-and-Alcantara interior, complete with air conditioning, power seats, a Pioneer audio system with six amps and a 12-inch subwoofer “to help offset the throaty performance under the hood.” Like anyone would want to do that.

So, again, this custom probably doesn’t portend the return of the Camry Solara. And even if Toyota were to revive its mid-size two-door, you can bet a 12-pack of Bud that it won’t come with a V-8.