The Toyota Hilux is one of the worlds most loved pickup's especially right here in South Africa. It's proved it's worth time and time again as a reliable and dependable workhorse. From building sites, harsh African off-road terrain, Dakar Rally wins and one was even blown up by TV's Top Gear and it lived to drive another day! Hilux fans swear by them and wouldn't dream of driving anything else.
Hilux is derived from the words High and Luxury, meaning it had a high ground clearance but boasted a luxurious interior. It debuted in March 1968 and was developed and manufactured by Hino Motors. The 1st generation was manufactured from 1968-1972.
The engine was a 1.5 liter unit which had 69 horse power. It adopted a separate frame construction with a double wishbone coil spring front suspension and a solid beam axle leaf spring rear suspension.
Transmission came as a 4 speed column shift affair. I had the privilege of driving one of these a while back and the transmission is far from slick!
We're going to be publishing a series of blogs about the history of the Hilux right up to the current model so follow along right here or on our Facebook page. Please share if you're a Toyota Hilux fan.
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