Toyota started promoting pickups in North America in 1964, when the Stout 1900 appeared on our streets. The Stout by no means actually caught on right here, regardless of its cool identify, however a extra civilized small Toyota pickup proved to be a permanent gross sales success on our facet of the Pacific: the Hilux. Immediately’s Junkyard Gem is a first-model-year instance of the third-generation Hilux, retired in Colorado after greater than 4 many years of laborious work.
Toyota started promoting the Hilux in the USA below its home-market identify within the late Sixties, however phased out that identify right here throughout 1973. After that, the North American Hilux turned referred to as the Toyota Truck. So, the proper mannequin identify for this truck is Truck.
Consistent with that naming custom, Toyota later referred to as the MasterAce Surf the Toyota Van in North America. Nissan and Mitsubishi likewise named their mid-engined Vanette and Delica vans the identical means on our shores (the Nissan Van and Mitsubishi Van). Sadly, the Corolla was not renamed the Toyota Automotive for the American market. In any case, most American Hilux homeowners seek advice from their Vans as Hiluxes as of late.
The second-generation Hilux bought very properly right here, and its reign stretched from 1972 via 1978. As a result of so many have been bought they usually held collectively so properly, I nonetheless discover some second-gen Hiluxes throughout my boneyard travels. The larger third-generation Hilux was bought right here for the 1979 via 1988 mannequin years, and it proved so indestructible that you’re going to nonetheless see them in every single place within the non-rusty areas of our continent. The ultimate new Hiluxes bought in the USA have been 1995 fashions, after which the Tacoma shoved them apart perpetually.
This Truck has the two.2-liter SOHC 20R four-cylinder engine, which was rated at 90 horsepower and 122 pound-feet. The U.S.-market Celicas of this period obtained the identical engine.
The 20R and its 2.4-liter successor, the 22R, stay legendary for his or her reliability. It is a real Warlord Grade engine.
I will guess this Truck lined a powerful variety of miles throughout its life, however Toyota used a five-digit odometer right here and so we will not know whether or not it has 59,008 miles or 659,008.
The underhood emissions sticker tells us it is a “49-state” automobile, not initially bought in California.
1979 Truck consumers might get an computerized transmission, however I’ve seen only a few so geared up.
This one has the elective five-speed handbook, which was thought-about sufficiently particular that Toyota marketed it on the tailgate.
There’s some rust, however nothing too severe by the requirements of Nineteen Seventies Japanese automobiles.
This Fujitsu TEN manufacturing unit AM/FM radio would have been thought-about a frivolous luxurious in most late-Nineteen Seventies work vehicles.
Would you consider air con in a small truck of this period? That is very uncommon.
Why is it right here? A pickup this measurement could be thought-about too small and too underpowered by most potential consumers as of late, after which there’s the truth that few American drivers can function a handbook transmission. Possibly one thing costly broke within the powertrain and that was all she wrote.
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