Tundra Midnight Rider Tailgater by Brooks & Dunn

The Midnight Rider Tundra Tailgater by Brooks & Dunn is a tribute to the legendary country music duo’s career that has spanned over 20 years.  The Tundra full-sized pickup has been a sponsor of Brooks & Dunn for the past three-plus years and the Tundra Tailgater is Toyota’s way of celebrating the music duo’s upcoming 2010 farewell tour.

The concept for this one-of-a-kind Tundra Tailgater was developed through Toyota’s partnership with Brooks & Dunn.  Inspired by the music duo’s large truck-devoted fan base, Toyota wanted to push the boundaries of bed utility and capture the imagery of the truck trucker.  Built by The B.A.D. Company, the customized Tundra CrewMax Limited full-size 4×2 V8 pickup was a perfect fit for the ultimate tailgating vehicle.

The Ultimate Tailgating Experience® occurs when you slide out the tailgate, exposing a Grill N Chill® cooking area from Go! Products.  The pull-out Grill N Chill features a cooking space with countertops, infrared barbeque, beverage tap and ice chest.  An electronically operated tonneau cover enhances your tailgate party with a bed-installed 42-inch flat screen TV and sound system by Kicker.  The sound system features a dual subwoofer system and a separate amp, four two-way speakers with tweeters and separate crossovers, and dual two-channel amps with separate equalizers and speaker control units.

On the outside, the truck features custom black paint treated with silver metallic flakes.  The exterior is accented by custom western-engraved silver door handles, a front grille adorned with a chrome Brooks & Dunn logo steer skull, a chrome-accented steer skull tailgate handle, and a hand-tooled black saddle leather-trim tonneau cover surrounded with custom Brooks & Dunn silver conchos, all created by noted silversmith, artist and horseman, Clint Mortenson of Mortenson Silver & Saddles.  Also added is a Brooks & Dunn license plate frame recognizing 20 years of hit music.  The exterior is topped off with 20-inch Mickey Thompson “Classic Lock” polished aluminum wheels with 35-inch Mickey Thompson “Claw” off-road tires, Bushwacker bolt-on fender flares, a three-inch suspension lift, and  Toyota accessorized chrome tube steps.

Inside, The B.A.D. Company complements the exterior of the Tundra Tailgater with black leather trim seats and silver accents.   Also added is a hand-tooled silver cupholder faceplate and custom saddle horn shift knob highlighted with a silver cap.  The interior features a Toyota navigation system and rear seat entertainment.  Audio was upgraded with Kicker speakers including one subwoofer, one two-way speaker with separate tweeter crossover in each door, four more separate tweeters mounted throughout the cab, and three amps with an equalizer.

In addition to celebrating 20 years of great music, the vast exposure of the Tundra Tailgater at the 2009 SEMA Show and the Brooks & Dunn farewell concert tour allows Toyota the opportunity to gauge consumer reaction towards the various interior treatments and bed utility, which can help influence future design possibilities.