This 1985 Toyota Hilux has been painstakingly restored into the same specification as the now legendary truck from Back To The Future that Marty McFly was lusting after all those years ago.
The DeLorean DMC-12 will always be the car most closely associated with the Back To The Future trilogy, and for good reason, however the black Toyota with its yellow KC Daylighters was also seared into the hearts of a generation.
Fast Facts – A McFly Toyota Hilux
- Starting in 1985, the “Back To The Future” trilogy would grow to become one of the most memorable film franchises of the era, if not of all time.
- The series of three films made the DeLorean famous all over again (but for good reasons this time). It also made the Toyota Hilux an instant celebrity and on object of desire – not just for Marty McFly, but for a whole new generation of movie goers.
- Perhaps a little confusingly the Hilux was renamed the “Truck” and/or “Pickup Truck” in the North American market from 1975 onwards. In most other world markets it was known as the Toyota Hilux.
- The 1985 Toyota you see here has been restored to the exact specification of the truck from the films, it’s currently for sale, and it comes with replica Nike self-lacing shoes, a licensed Hoverboard replica, and an R/C version of truck.
Back To The Future
Back To The Future is one of those timeless cinematic events, like Star Wars or Indiana Jones, that immediately becomes a major part of the cultural zeitgeist.
There are some who have argued that the appearance of the custom Toyota Pickup in “Back To The Future” is what really put the model on the map for many young Americans.
Back in the 1980s everything seemed possible, technology was advancing rapidly and it seemed like we really would have flying cars by the 2000s. Hell maybe we’d even have time machines.
There were many memorable vehicles in the series, including Mr Parker’s AMC Eagle Wagon, George McFly’s BMW 733i, and Biff Tannen’s 1946 Ford Super De Luxe. That said the most memorable two were the DeLorean time machine (in its various forms) and the jet-black 1985 Toyota Pickup.
Both the DeLorean and the Toyota instantly became objects of desire, an unusual sensation for the former no doubt after the fiasco of its creation.
This desirability remains unchanged today for both vehicles – in fact The DeLorean Motor Company is now staging a comeback as an electric vehicle manufacturer, and a company named The Future Factory was founded a few years ago to build precise replicas of the original Toyota Truck from the films.
Above Video: This half hour documentary tells the story of the rediscovery and restoration of a screen-used Pickup from Back To The Future. This is not the same truck listed in this article, it’s included here as it’s a fascinating (and relevant) story.
Marty McFly’s Toyota Pickup
The truck used in the films that is now best known as Marty McFly’s Pickup was a 1985 Toyota Hilux Pickup Deluxe 4×4 Xtracab fitted with the 22R-E 2.4 liter four-cylinder EFI gasoline engine – according to the experts over on the dedicated Fandom wiki.
1985 was an important year for the Hilux as it was the final year that a live axle front end was offered in many world markets, including the USA. The switch to independent front suspension, paired with the live axle rear, was intended to give the truck better road handling.
This all means that if you want a Hilux with solid front and rear axles and electronic fuel injection, you pretty much have to find yourself a 1985 model.
The Marty McFly Hilux is said to have also had air-conditioning, an AM/FM cassette, a 5-speed manual transmission, black modular wheels, and Goodyear Wrangler radial tires.
Externally it was fitted with Smitty built tubular bumpers front and rear, it had a matching black roll bar fitted with four KC Daylighter spotlights.
The interior is largely the same as the trucks used in the film, with the 5-speed manual and 2-speed transfer case.
The “Back To The Future Spec” Pickup Shown Here
The vehicle you see here is an original 1985 Toyota Pickup that has been carefully restored to “Back To The Future” specification. It’s the correct year and model type, and it’s now been fitted with the correct wheels, tires, bumpers, roll bar, and spotlights – it even has the correct license plate and license plate frame.
This Pickup was built by the experts over at The Future Factory, they specialize in building this exact truck, and they have partnered with Team Fox – the Parkinson’s Research charity established by Michael J. Fox.
If you’d like to read more about this truck or register to bid you can visit the listing here. It’s due to roll across the auction block with Mecum in early July in Orlando, Florida.
Images courtesy of Mecum
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
