Doesn't look much, does it? This is a 2015 Toyota Camry, best selling car in America for the past 12 years. Toyota boasts of "a bold new exterior design, improved dynamic performance [and] a premium and upscale interior" for its latest mid-size sedan. Only this isn't really a mid-size sedan. It's not really a Camry if truth be told.
Hang on, those tyres look a bit wide...
This is the Sleeper Camry, a very special project commissioned by Toyota only for the SEMA show. Beneath the entirely innocuous body sits a full tube-frame chassis, drag tyres and a full race interior. Oh, and eight hundred and fifty damn horsepower. 850!
That huge power gain comes from a Tundra 5.7 3UR-FE V8, boosted not only by a TRD supercharger but also a nitrous system. With a transmission, rear axle and electronics from the pick-up too, Toyota is promising a combination of "brute force, rugged durability and raw speed." We don't doubt that.
The Sleeper Camry should dip under the magical 10-second mark for the quarter-mile with an estimated 9.8-second time. It's probably no longer much good for grabbing groceries or taking the kids to soccer practice.
This ultimate Q-car has been built by a man called Chuck (no, really) and his friends at Toyota's Motorsports Technical Centre. Mr C. Wade is Director at the other MTC and said of the car: "This Camry is the ultimate sleeper - it definitely has the element of surprise on its side and more than enough muscle to drop the hammer on any unsuspecting car that pulls up." We like Chuck.
Following SEMA the Camry Sleeper will tour the States at National Hot Rod Association races. Hopefully it can race a Camaro COPO at some point...