CHICAGO — This taco Tuesday check out Toyota’s Tacozilla Tacoma Camper at the 2022 Chicago Auto Show.
This is a vehicle that combines the popularity of downsizing created by the tiny homes craze and outdoor adventure. Toyota describes it as a backwoods overlanding-ready “micro-house” rig that pays tribute to Toyota campers from the 70’s and 80’s, specifically the Toyota Hiluz Chinook camper. The Tacozilla is a working concept vehicle that is not available to the public.
The concept is based on the Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport Crew model, meaning it’s equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine paired with to a six-speed manual transmission and four-wheel drive system with low gearing. It’s a 100% custom build designed by Marty Schwerter and the Toyota team.
The project came together for the 2021 edition of the SEMA show in Las Vegas, where it was on display for several days.
The overall goal of the build is to show potential customers what the Tacoma is capable of in terms of uplifts for camping and traveling. The small camper is capable of sleeping 2 or 3 people and has sll the basic necessities to spend several days on the road.
What you’ll notice:
You’ll notice it’s rounded edges and smooth aluminum surfaces that complement the Tacoma’s body lines.
“Our goal was to build a vehicle that is engineered correctly but also made to look really cool,” Schwerter said. “Being around race cars my whole life, race cars are cool looking. I want campers to be cool looking, too.”
The building process:
The team began by removing the Tacoma’s bed to determine what needed to be removed and relocated to create space.
“The team needed to go below frame height in order for a person to be able to stand up inside,” Schwerter said.
The next step was shrinking and repackaging everything, so someone over 6 feet tall could walk inside with enough room for the camper’s amenities and occupants.
The Toyota team then built a basic camper frame to test the initial fitment and dimensions. From there, it was time to fine tune and reinforce the frame. This visually tied in with the Tacoma’s body lines while maximizing interior space. And the narrower top and bottom makes it easier to navigate trails and avoid trees and obstacles.
This tapered shape also made it challenging to fabricate the camper’s rear door. The team could have fitted a flat door but decided the result would not look as integrated. All in all, the team spent well over 100 hours designing the rear door alone.
The team contended with another vital structural challenge, creating the pass-through opening between the Tacoma’s cabin and the camper structure. The solution required enough support and bracing for off-road driving, enabling the cabin and camper structures to work together and twist on uneven surfaces without compromising the vehicle or creating unsafe driving situations.
In order to make good use of the Tacoma’s existing features, the team was able to fit the Tacoma’s original rear fender flares onto the camper’s wheel well openings and added two inches of clearance to the standard Tacoma TRD Sport suspension. To ensure traction, the team fitted a set of 285/70/17 General Tire Grabber X3 all-terrain tires.
Like most custom builds, the process is fluid and improvements can happen midstream. For example, the team was well into skinning the camper structure in aluminum when they decided to add a large pop-up Lexan skylight to provide ambient light, natural air circulation and additional headroom. Other custom work included a fuel tank filler that is completely separated from the camper to ensure fuel fumes remain isolated and a second battery in the Tacoma’s engine bay to help supply additional power without taking up space in the already space-limited camper.
Partners and support:
Complete Customs in McKinney, Texas, a long-time Toyota partner, provided customization support and handled the paint work. The finished camper features a white base coat with accents reminiscent of the vintage yellow, orange and bronze scheme. And the fully insulated interior indeed looks like the micro-house the team envisioned, with teak sauna-style flooring, a full bathroom with hot-water shower, a fully operational kitchen with a stove and sink, a 3D-printed dining table that converts to a backlit piece of wall art and ample sleeping space.