Friday, March 30, 2012

Hilux conquers the final frontier

Remember when Top Gear went to the North Pole (video after the break)? They opted to use a Toyota Hilux to cart Clarkson and May around because it was the most reliable car ever built (which they proved). Well, the guys who prepared the trucks giving it bigger wheels and toughened suspensions, Arctic Trucks, tackled the other side of the world this time around - the Antarctic.


For the summer season down south, several important expeditions were planned. Supporting these activities were a team of Toyota Hilux vehicles, a Land Cruiser and a Tacoma. They even converted a 6x6 Hilux for the trip - it could carry up to 3 tonnes of cargo.

One of the expeditions was actually a ski race to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Amundsen-Scott race to the South Pole. It's really an amazing story if you haven't really read about it much. Even the Wikipedia article is a great and very emotional read.

Another really interesting activity was to bring fuel supplies for the scientists drilling in Lake Vostok. This lake is particularly interesting because the deepest parts of it hasn't seen the light of day for 25 million years. Researchers think it could hold some really incredible secrets.

The vehicles didn't need an engine or transmission change because of its durability. However, for the 70,000 km trek - longest Antarctic expedition to date - the cars were powered by jet fuel. How awesome is that? Three of the Hilux vehicles also broke the world record for covering 9,500 km each.

Check out the press release here

Oh, and Part 1 of the Top Gear Polar Special below. Enjoy!

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