Did Toyota Just Make the Most Badass Camry Ever?

The words “cool” and “Toyota Camry” aren’t exactly commonly associated with each other. That’s because the Camry has been the poster child of “automotive beige,” a.k.a. boring, pretty much since the dawn of time.

But the brand’s been on a quest to change that. In recent years, the Big T has given us some really awesome performance variants, compliments of its Toyota Racing Division. It’s all been an effort to inject more enthusiasm into the family sedan.

Now, however, Toyota might’ve just hammered the final nail in the coffin of the Camry’s soulless past.

Seven cylinders, two engines, one wicked crazy Camry

Nikolai Aksenov via YouTube

Japan’s iconic, annual Super Taikyu Fuji 24-Hour race recently took place. It’s the nation’s premier touring car endurance event, similar to America’s IMSA-sanctioned 24 Hours of Daytona.

Because it’s such a huge spectacle, pretty much all of Japan’s automakers are in attendance to hold some of the spotlight. Toyota, being Japan’s largest, showed up without question.

The automaker brought the big guns to reveal a wicked, racing-prepped and custom-built GR Camry prototype. The car has not one, but two engines hidden inside

Yep, you read that correctly.

Nikolai Aksenov via YouTube

According to various reports, Toyota and its refreshed in-house performance division, Gazoo Racing, pulled the sheets off this crazy Camry just to demonstrate the sort of experiments its team conducts.

Here’s the breakdown. The engine at the front is the same hi-po turbocharged three-cylinder found in the GR Yaris and GR Corolla. At the back is GR’s newest high-performance turbo four, which is expected to propel some of Toyota’s highly anticipated sports car revivals.

Nikolai Aksenov via YouTube

Driving both axles, total output comes in at around 700 horsepower. But that’s not all.

Could this be the Camry’s shining moment?

Toyota also revealed another Camry show car, in tandem. The second one is slightly more complete, though no less eye-catching on account of its Bōsōzoku-style exterior design.

Technical specifics aren’t readily available. However, given some of their modifications, these models are pretty obviously there just for show.

nenkatsuねんかつ via YouTube

The Bōsōzoku-style Camry racecar likely exists to answer a lot of “what if’s” in Toyota world. And since the styling trend is one of Japan’s most definitive in its domestic car world, it only made sense for the brand to bring something to excite fans.

Who said the Camry couldn’t be badass and cool?

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