As an automotive illustrator, few things are as exciting as helping enthusiasts visualize the future before the camouflage officially comes off. My latest commissioned project for Car and Driver tackles exactly that: Toyota’s long-rumored, highly anticipated answer to the Ford F-150 Raptor.


You can check out my exclusive illustrations in the full feature over at Car and Driver, but I wanted to take you behind the scenes of how we brought this apex predator to life.


The Brief: Visualizing a Raptor Rival

For years, the Tundra TRD Pro has been Toyota's flagship off-roader, but the full-size segment demands something more extreme. Following a recent USPTO trademark filing for the "TRD Hammer" name and fresh spy shots of a heavily camouflaged test mule, Car and Driver tasked me with peeling back the visual noise to reveal the high-speed desert runner hiding underneath.

The goal was to create a photorealistic, production-ready interpretation of the truck that balances Toyota’s current design language with aggressive, Baja-inspired hardware.


Peeling Back the Camo: The Design Process

Designing the TRD Hammer wasn't just about slapping a lift kit on a standard Tundra. Interpreting the spy shots required a careful analysis of the engineering changes Toyota is making to the TNGA-F platform. Here is how I approached the key details in the artwork:

  • A Menacing, Widebody Stance: The test mules clearly sport significantly wider front and rear fenders. I sculpted these wider arches to cleanly house the expanded track width and the sophisticated long-travel suspension (which includes beefier lower control arms and a revised panhard rod).
  • 37-Inch Footwear: To go toe-to-toe with the Raptor, the TRD Hammer needs serious rubber. I equipped the render with 37-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 tires, instantly boosting the ground clearance and giving the truck a commanding, grounded posture.
  • High-Clearance Steel Bumpers: High-speed off-roading requires steep approach and departure angles. The illustrations feature rugged, redesigned steel bumpers at both ends. Not only do these expose the upgraded front dampers, but they also give the front fascia a much more aggressive, purpose-built jawline.
  • Performance Venting: With rumors suggesting an upgraded i-Force Max V-6 hybrid powertrain pushing north of 450 horsepower, I integrated functional cooling vents into the front fenders to extract heat and manage airflow during punishing desert runs.

The Verdict

The high-performance truck wars are escalating, and it is incredibly rewarding to help the automotive world picture Toyota's next big move. If the production version of the TRD Hammer looks and performs anything like our projection, the American truck establishment is going to have a serious fight on its hands.


Read the full scoop and see the final artworks here:

2027 Toyota Tundra TRD Hammer Is a Raptor Rival Worth Waiting For



Do you need world-class speculative renderings or digital automotive illustrations for your publication or OEM project? Get in touch to turn early data and spy shots into compelling visual stories.