Curbside Classic: 1975 Toyota Hilux Pickup

After a deep immersion in cheap, plastic (un)fantastic Toyota electronic gas pedal assemblies, we need to swing the friction arm pendulum way far the other direction; right into a cast iron Hilux pickup. The only electronics in these would be a handful of transistors in the radio, if it even had one. If there had to be a vehicle to keep running indefinitely, I couldn’t think of a better choice. And I’m obviously not the only one: there are dozens of these on the roads hereabouts, being used daily by thrifty gardeners, carpenters, handy-men, and just homeowners wanting a weekend dump-run truck. There’s no question in my mind; if I wasn’t so tall and didn’t like a big bed, I’d be driving one of these instead of my old F-100.

Read more
  • Luke42 When will they release a Gladiator 4xe?I don’t care what color it is, but I do care about being able to plug it in.
  • Bd2 As I have posited here numerous times; the Hyundai Pony Coupe of 1974 was the most influential sports and, later on, supercar template. This Toyota is a prime example of Hyundai's primal influence upon the design industry. Just look at the years, 1976 > 1974, so the numbers bear Hyundai out and this Toyota is the copy.
  • MaintenanceCosts Two of my four cars currently have tires that have remaining tread life but 2017 date codes. Time for a tire-stravaganza pretty soon.
  • Lorenzo I'd actually buy another Ford, if they'd bring back the butternut-squash color. Well, they actually called it sea foam green, but some cars had more green than others, and my 1968 Mercury Montego MX was one of the more-yellow, less-green models. The police always wrote 'yellow' on the ticket.
  • ToolGuy Some of my first cars were die-cast from pot-metal in 2 pieces: body-in-white plus chassis. I spray-painted some of them, the masking was a pain. The tires did burn realistically.