Here’s something nobody saw coming: with just one month before SEMA 2023, one of the favorite vehicles for the Las Vegas event is the 2023 Toyota Prius. And while Toyota itself and aftermarket developers are working to make that happen, so are digital artists. Case in point with the 2023 Toyota Prius widebody kit portrayed in this rendering, which is here to whet our appetite for the said event.
One rising trend among builders these days involves putting monster aero from race versions on street cars, which is what TJ Hunt did for his G82 BMW M4 “GT3”, which he’s revealing at SEMA. And this is precisely what this widebody kit is up to, even though there’s a catch.
Alas, while Toyota almost made a 2023 Prius GT racer to continue a decade-old tradition, the project eventually got caught in the corporate web and was never released.
In this respect, digital artist BradBuilds‘ work serves both street car fanatics and racing enthusiasts. His 2023 Toyota Prius widebody kit kicks off with massive overfenders that he borrowed from the now-retired Super GT Japanese racing iterations of the Prius mentioned above. And, if you’re looking for a surprise, you should know the Aston Martin Vulcan was another muse for this project.
Oh, and in the process, the Toyota has become a two-door, while gaining side exhaust that exits the widebody just before the rear wheels. Speaking of which, the negative camber you see here highlights the Rotiform wheels, which are shod in Toyo tires. Factor in the microscopic ground clearance, a result of air suspension, and you’ll see the street side of this digital build better.
Returning to the motorsport-borrowed aero tweaks, these include the vented hood, tiny side mirrors, the front lip spoiler, the swan neck rear wing, and the monstrous diffuser at the rear. Oh, and if you check out the roof, you’ll notice a pair of air scoops.
Following the same trend, the interior of this 2023 Prius has been converted to a two-seater layout, with the bucket seats featuring multi-point harnesses. And yes, there’s a complex roll cage in there, so the rear seat delete was mandatory.
The all-black appearance of this widebody 2023 Toyota Prius is almost begging for a racing livery, but, since, as stated, this remains a street car, we’ll have to use our imagination for this one.
Toyota is preparing some 2023 Prius news for SEMA 2023
Not only does the factory 2023 Prius display a sportier look—backed by respectable driving dynamics—but Toyota already offers (standard-width) body kits via the in-house tuner Modellista.
Plus, back in June at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the carmaker showcased the Toyota GR Prius Concept. Sporting aero upgrades like fender flares, dive planes, and a fixed wing, this was described as a one-off, but we expect the company to reveal more on the matter in Las Vegas.
After all, Toyota and Modellista are among the companies that have announced their presence at SEMA 2023, and you can find them on the official participant manufacturer list—you may also wish to see the extreme HKS Nissan 400Z (2023 Z) widebody coming to the Las Vegas event.
For the record, the automakers that have announced their presence at SEMA 2023 (as of September) are Ford, Lexus, Nissan, Stellantis, and Toyota.
Then again, some big names are expected to join the event indirectly, as Honda did last year when providing an IndyCar V6 used for Hoonigan’s Ridgeline-based IndyTruck, which became one of the most memorable SEMA builds ever.
