As you may be able to tell, this is no ordinary Toyota Tacoma. This 2010 Toyota Tacoma Polar Expedition Vehicle is one mean machine, and it was built to truck through the most desolate regions of the Earth. It holds two Guinness World Records for crossing the iciest of regions in the world: Antarctica.

The truck began it’s life as an ordinary Tacoma purchased from a South Carolina Toyota dealership. The truck was bought by Kieron Bradly of Lotus Engineering, who purchased it with the intent of modifying it for ex-Special Forces expedition leader Jason De Carteret. Carteret used the truck on a Discovery UK TV show that chronicled its run from Patriot Hills to the South Pole. They completed the trip in 39 hours, 54 minutes, managing an average speed of 27.9 MPH.

The massive bed which houses 330 Gallons of fuel.  Photo by Thom Briggs.

As you can imagine, navigating through the desolate terrain of the Antarctic is a tough challenge. The Tacoma received several upgrades to be able to off-road in the icy terrain. A TRD supercharger was installed on the 4.0L V6 increasing its output to 341 horses. A custom suspension was fabricated by Marconi that featured custom prop shafts as well as front and rear air-locking differentials to help the truck keep moving. Massive 44-inch Dick Cepek tires plowed through the thick mounds of snow and ice.

Extensive modification were made to the truck’s frame and bed so it cold house 330 gallons of gasoline. This much fuel gave the truck an estimated range of 6,000 miles. To keep the crew safe during its Antarctic journey, the cabin was heavily modified with insulation for extra warmth, a roll cage built for rollover protection, and a GPS system added for navigation.

An estimated $400,000 went into building this truck and making it into an expedition machine. The truck is currently owned by Grand Sport dba RUF and is located in Southfield, Michigan; and it is planning to sell this engineering marvel. Think you would like to make an offer? It will take you anywhere, even to the South Pole …