This compact pickup was sold as a Hilux in most parts of the world, but in the North American market, Toyota retired the Hilux name in 1976 in favor of the much less creative “Toyota Pickup.” I am so curious about what went down in the boardroom where they settled on that change.

This particular example was a 3rd generation Hilux, which was sold starting in 1978 as a 2wd,  with a 4wd variant introduced in 1979. The 3rd gen was similar in size to the 2nd gen albeit a bit wider. The 3rd generation model sported a front suspension with a torsion bar design, a change from the previous generation’s coil spring design. 

For more on the Toyota Hilux (and Toyota Pickup) model, check out Silodrome’s comprehensive history of the Toyota Hilux. It’ll tell you everything you need to know, including the fun fact that the Hilux has the distinction of having been to both the North and South Poles. In fact, it went to the North Pole on an episode of Top Gear, where the affable hosts drove to the top of Eyjafjallajökull, the “unpronounceable mountain” in Iceland. 

One of my favorite parts of the article is the awesome vintage ad they pulled which shows how hard Toyota went on selling the Hilux as the “son” of a Toyota Land Cruiser, a 4x4 icon. In fairness, it did share some common 4wd tech from its dad.