It’s customary these days for automakers to auction off the first production example of their newest halo cars for charity. Typically, these are the “it” sports cars of the moment, like a 2023 70th Anniversary Edition Corvette, which recently fetched a record $3.6 million, or the first fifth-gen Toyota Supra, which sold in 2019 for $2.1 million. However, the first production 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone crossed the block over the weekend for $700,000.
As Toyota’s new flagship pickup the Capstone is luxurious, with its Lexus LS-quality leather and walnut trim, but we don’t know that it’s worth the price of a Rolls Royce Phantom and Lamborghini Huracan Evo. Of course, the price was bolstered by the fact that every cent goes to the Toyota U.S. Paralympic Fund that benefits athletes with disabilities. The owner also gets bragging rights for owning a Tundra Capstone with a VIN ending in 001, meaning it’s the first production Tundra Capstone to roll out of Toyota’s San Antonio, Texas, plant. Also, neither the Bentley nor Lambo can tow a 10,340-pound trailer or haul a refrigerator, so there’s that.
At the same auction, an orange 2022 Tundra TRD Pro sold for $550,000 with money going to the same fund. On this truck the VIN ends in 002, which simply isn’t as cool (though there’s no word on where VIN 001 went). That’s a total of 1.25 million going towards Paralympic athletes.
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention that a Toyota Tundra Capstone starts at $75,225, so the winning bidder paid nearly 10 times as much. The 2022 Tundra TRD Pro’s pricing hasn’t been released yet, but previous-generation 2021 models start at about $60,000.
The auctions also show that halo cars these days need not be cars at all. Especially for Toyota, its most fervent enthusiast base these days seems to come from Tacoma, 4Runner, and Land Cruiser owners. Its sports car fans could easily go to Subaru or BMW, but overlanding and off-roading have taken off in a big way and it’s high-time Toyota capitalized on its legendary reputation for durability and four-wheeling prowess.
If you’re still reeling from the Tundra’s price, consider this. The first Bronco sold last year for $1.075 million while the first Hummer EV sold for $2.5 million. That makes the first Ram 1500 TRX seem like a relative bargain at $410,000.