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Check Out the Cool Toyota 4Runner TRD Surf Concept for SEMA

modified pickup truck with surfboard and sporty design
Toyota 4Runner TRD Surf Concept Carves into SEMAToyota
  • Toyota will show off this cool retro 4Runner concept at SEMA next week.

  • The 4Runner TRD Surf Concept recalls the original two-door 4x4 beloved by surfers and rock climbers before “active lifestyle” was even a thing.

  • It features a removable fiberglass roof and just two doors. It debuts Tuesday.


If you remember 1981 and you lived anywhere near the beach in California, you might recall the first Toyota 4Runners. They had two doors, a fiberglass upper body, and a back seat. The whole thing was a conversion of a Hilux two-door pickup truck made by Winnebago for a Wisconsin Toyota dealer who lamented the passing of the FJs of the day.

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For surfers in California and mountain climbers in Colorado, it was the perfect mix of 4WD competence and roomy living space. This was ages before the term VanLife with all its vlogging interlopers had even been invented.

Now for SEMA, Toyota brings us a retro take on those ancient times with the removable-roof 4Runner TRD Surf Concept, which will debut at SEMA Tuesday.

toyota 4runner retro surf concept for sema
Looks like fun, but carrying your boards like that is just asking for dings.Toyota

“The 2025 4Runner reminded me of the original, with its rugged look and powerhouse 4-cylinder engine. I knew it had the potential to be the ultimate beach cruiser,” said Marty Schwerter, lead builder and director of operations at Toyota’s Motorsports Technical Center. “We wanted to create something that would resonate today while paying homage to the past. The removable top was a must, just like the original, and we made sure it’s as functional as it is stylish.”

The 4Runner TRD Surf Concept is built on an all-new 2025 4Runner TRD Limited with a turbocharged 2.4-liter iForce four that makes a whopping (compared to 1981) 278 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque. Surfers from the ’80s would flip their lids.

Making a removable top was not as easy as you might think, though.

“Engineering a legitimate, removable top; going from a 4-door to a 2-door while maintaining functional windows; flipping the front passenger seat for improved rear seat access; and adding 2-inches of width to both sides were all just tip-of-the-iceberg issues,” Schwerter said. “What makes this build so stellar has less to do with the changes themselves and more to do with the amazing way that they all work together—the result is truly greater than the sum of the parts.”

The removable top was built in-house, Toyota said, blending traditional fabrication with CAD and modern 3D printing technology that would have freaked 1980s surf doggies right out. The top was designed to be easily removed by a single person, which I would love to see done as it doesn’t seem possible. Maybe at the SEMA show?

It is far more appealing than the 2001 Toyota Echo Roxy Edition that was named after a surf fashion brand aimed at young female buyers, which was tasked with trying to make the bland Echo cool. This new Surf Concept, on the other hand, looks like it would appeal to everyone. Maybe they should build it.