SEMA-Bound Toyota 4Runner with Removable Hardtop Is Here to Soothe Your 1980s Nostalgia

Although it still uses rugged body-on-frame construction, the new Toyota 4Runner shares little more than a name with the original model released for 1984. But the company is taking the 4Runner back to its roots for the 2024 SEMA show: It built a concept called TRD Surf that features two doors and a removable hardtop.

We can’t say that no 4Runners were harmed during the build: Toyota admits it practiced chopping the top on a fifth-generation model before cutting up a current-generation SUV. This was very much a “measure twice and cut once” project, so the folks who worked on it spent days planning where and how to make the cuts. The hardtop was built in-house, and it’s light enough that it can be removed by one person.

In contrast, the four-door-to-two-door transformation was relatively straightforward. Toyota seemingly welded in the rear doors without making the TRD Surf shorter than a standard 4Runner. It’s a little wider and taller, however, thanks to suspension and chassis updates including billet aluminum front upper and lower A-arms and custom-made front axles. The 37-inch all-terrain tires increase the ride height, too.

What’s the deal with the surfboards? Good question. The original 4Runner was known as the Hilux Surf in global markets, and Toyota notes that the model was particularly popular among surfers in California.

There are no mechanical modifications to report, so power comes from a turbocharged, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 278 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. It spins the four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission and a two-speed transfer case, and it exhales through a custom-made exhaust system. For context, the first-generation 4Runner came standard with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder tuned to develop 97 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque and linked to either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. It powered the rear wheels, or all four via a two-speed transfer case.

Put away your checkbook: Toyota isn’t taking reservations. It built the TRD Surf concept to turn heads at SEMA, and it’s not planning on adding the model (or any two-door 4Runner) to its range anytime soon.