HispanicBusiness

Antron Brown's outrageous Toyota Sequoia family dragster, known as "DragQuoia," captured Sony Computer Entertainment America's Gran Turismo Award for Best Truck or SUV at the 2012 SEMA Show.

The Gran Turismo Awards celebrate excellence and innovation in the automotive industry for SEMA show exhibitors, as selected by Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi. The 10th annual Gran Turismo(TM) Awards show was held last night in Las Vegas, with hip hop superstar Snoop Dogg as host.

Already a star as part of the Toyota Racing Dream Build Challenge, DragQuoia grabbed attention in its public debut at Toyota's SEMA Show press conference earlier this week with its radical design features, race-ready character and ear-splitting NHRA sound track.

"This is a vehicle that really embodied the entire spirit of SEMA," said Toyota National Engagement Marketing and Motorsports Manager Keith Dahl. "It's just over-the-top and the fans loved it."

DragQuoia is the brainchild of Antron Brown, who commissioned the Motorsports Technical Center in Torrance, Calif., to build the SUV for him to compete in the Toyota Racing Dream Build Challenge. Chuck Wade and his team at Motorsports Technical Center produced a completely unique, high-quality build that looks, sounds, and is ready to rumble. The build process was documented extensively on the Toyota Racing Dream Build Challenge Facebook page (http://www.toyotaracingdreambuild.com), where fans followed team progress via photos and video.

"It's a great honor to have DragQuoia win this award," Wade said. "Yamauchi-san and his team at Gran Turismo are huge racing enthusiasts who take their car selections seriously. Only the best get in their door."