If there is one vehicle we thought would never feature on this site, it’s the Toyota Quantum. Not that there’s anything wrong with this ubiquitous people carrier. It’s just that there is no performance slant to the bus that moves most of South Africa on a daily basis… Well, how wrong were we.

Left-field

Brothers Jannie and James Redelinghuys run a business that specialises in selling second-hand Toyota Quantums (or should that be Quanta? Hmmmm…). Some time back the pair had an idea to customise one of these commercial vehicles to showcase their business.

For the owners of 4Stroke, a body kit, larger alloys and banging audio install just wouldn’t cut it. They wanted their car to be really different, and boy is it ever.

BEEG engine

They sourced a Toyota V12 motor that usually does duty in the Japan-only Toyota Century Limousine. Dubbed 1GZ-FE the motor displaces 5,0 litres and in standard trim it makes 210 kW with 460 N.m of torque. The brothers figured if they were going to drop a V12 into a Quantum they may as well go large.

They bolted on a pair of turbochargers to lift the power output even further. Of course, there were teething issues and the first motor they tried soon made way for a second. At a recent dyno test and tuning session, the motor produced 442 kW and 690 N.m of torque… just a tad more than standard. With a standard sub-assembly, the brothers are happy with this power level, which was made at 0,9 bar of boost. You can listen to the motor in the video at the bottom of this post.

Catch some bakkie racing action by clicking here. 

Extensive rework

Of course, one doesn’t just drop a V12 straight into a Quantum. The engine was repositioned to sit just behind the front seats, sportscar-style. The large power increase necessitated a new limited slip diff that was sourced from a Mustang.

The new diff is held in place by a bespoke double triangulated four-link suspension and shares space with an air-to-air intercooler. A fully adjustable coilover suspension has been installed as well. As expected, the Quantum rides on larger, 19-inch alloys and low-profile rubber.

Show and go

A plain white Toyota Quantum with almost 450 kW would be the ultimate sleeper, but this car was built to be a rolling advert and customer engagement tool. To make it stand out a full body kit will soon be fitted.

The body kit was sourced from Japan and it uses Lamborghini styling for inspiration. Once the kit is fitted the body will be wrapped in a bespoke vinyl wrap design. In keeping with the racy theme, five bucket seats, with race harnesses, will be fitted to keep occupants in place.

World first

We’ve seen customised Quantums and other people carriers in videos and feature stories, but we are pretty sure that this is the first time anyone anywhere in the world has fitted a twin-turbocharged V12 motor into a Toyota Quantum.

The finished product should be ready in a matter of weeks now that the bulk of the difficult work has been done. If the brothers are feeling generous, we hope to get behind the wheel and bring you our first-hand experience of this truly unique vehicle in a future story.