Meet India’s first Toyota Fortuner limousine

There are more than a few modified examples of the hugely popular Toyota Fortuner on Indian roads, but a limousine based on the T-Fort? Well, that’s something very unique. And guess what, the limousine was found tucked away in far-off Arunachal Pradesh, India’s land of the rising sun.

How was it built?

A first generation Fortuner was split into two, and the wheelbase extended by a few feet to give it the stance of a limousine. The body of the vehicle was also extended in order to support the longer wheelbase. Considering that the SUV sits on a ladder frame chassis, such wheelbase extensions aren’t very difficult to carry out.

On the inside, in true limousine style, the Fortuner is the lap of luxury. Two sets of leather-clad captain seats, facing each other have been fitted in the cabin. These seats come with extensive electric adjustment options, making them quite versatile.

The driver’s cabin has been partitioned from that of the passengers’, and features an LCD screen for entertainment. Other features in the passenger cabin include storage compartments, a car phone, air conditioning vents, a USB port and a cigarette lighter.

Exterior modifications

On the outside too, the Fortuner limousine sees a fair share of tweaks. The bumpers at the front and rear are new. The front end also receives projector headlamps with LED DRLs, a new grille, a massive hood scoop, butch body cladding and modified wheel arches.

At the rear, reflector strips line the tail gate while the tail lamps get the LED treatment. The 2.5 liter/3 liter D-4D turbo diesel motors were offered as standard on the first-gen Fortuner sold in India. The Fortuner limousine could feature one of these engines without major changes.

How much?

A cool 40 lakh rupees. And that’s apart from the cost of the donor Fortuner, which used to sell for about 30 lakh rupees. So, the total cost of this limousine comes up to about 70 lakh rupees, which makes this modified Fortuner one of the most expensive ones on Indian roads.

Legal?

Not exactly. In the past, RTOs have cracked down on limousine modifications as such mods alter the structure of the vehicle. Altering the structure of a vehicle is illegal as per the Central Motor Vehicle Rule (CMVR). To get such a modification endorsed by the RTO, the modifier first needs approval from the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).

This procedure is cumbersome, complex and frightfully expensive, which means that most limousine modifications end up as illegal vehicles on the road. Such vehicles can be impounded by the RTO. Coming to this Fortuner, it remains unclear whether the modifier has the necessary approvals for the limousine job.

Via Motoroids & GaadiWaadi