This is a 1988 Toyota Pickup SR5 that’s been given a series of modifications, including the fitment of a 4.0 liter V8 from a Lexus, an engine capable of up to 290 bhp in factory tune.
These 1980s-era Toyota Pickups are enjoying a surge in popularity at the moment, perhaps partially due to nostalgia and partly due to the fact that they’re a lot simpler to work on and maintain than their modern counterparts.
Fast Facts: A Lexus V8-Powered Toyota Pickup SR5
- This 1988 Toyota Pickup SR5 is a fourth-gen example that’s been significantly modified since the seller bought it from Arizona in early 2024. The truck was repainted in Silver Metallic and features exterior additions including a roll bar with KC auxiliary lights, a grille guard, an LED light bar, side graphics, a bed liner, and a receiver hitch.
- The most significant mod is the installation of a 4.0 liter 1UZ-FE V8 sourced from a 1992 Lexus LS400, fitted by the seller’s shop in April of 2024 with refreshed seals and bearings. Power is sent through a 5-speed manual transmission with a billet Marlin Crawler short-throw shifter and a dual-range transfer case.
- The truck rides on 15-inch Raceline Rockcrusher wheels with 32×11.50-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 tires, and the suspension has been upgraded with Fox Performance shocks and Aisin manually-locking front hubs. Braking is handled by power-assisted front discs with rotors and pads replaced in 2023, and power steering is fitted.
- The overhauled cabin has blue cloth bucket seats, a power window conversion, air conditioning, an AM/FM radio, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The truck is offered out of McPherson, Kansas with a clean Carfax report and a clean Kansas title, showing 115k miles on the odometer.
History Speedrun: The Toyota Hilux/Pickup
The Toyota Hilux is one of the most important pickup trucks in automotive history, over almost six decades and nine generations, it’s earned a reputation for its near-indestructibility and it recently surpassed 20 million units sold worldwide – a figure that’s only going to keep climbing.
This is a 1988 Toyota Pickup SR5 that’s been given a series of modifications, including the fitment of a 4.0 liter 1UZ-FE V8 from a Lexus, an engine capable of up to 290 bhp in factory tune.
The Chadian-Libyan conflict of 1987 became known colloquially as the “Toyota War,” because both sides relied on Hilux pickups as their primary transport and weapons platforms. In the United States the Hilux name wasn’t used after 1976, it was sold under either Toyota Truck or Toyota Pickup branding before being replaced by the Tacoma in 1995. In most other markets, though, it’s always been the Hilux – a name derived (somewhat optimistically) from “High Luxury.”
The Toyota Hilux Generations (In Brief)
Though it isn’t widely known, the Hilux’s origins actually lie outside the Toyota Motor Corporation. Its ancestor was the Briska, a small pickup truck manufactured by Hino Motors from 1961 onwards. During the 1960s Toyota and Hino entered into a partnership, and by 1967 the Briska was being sold through Toyota dealerships as the Toyota Briska.
This was a short-lived transitional arrangement, however, because in March of 1968 the first true Toyota Hilux rolled off the line at Hino’s Hamura Plant. Designated the RN10, it was a short-wheelbase rear-wheel-drive pickup powered by a 1.5 liter 2R inline four-cylinder engine rated at 70 bhp in Japanese-market specification, mated to a 4-speed column-shift manual gearbox.
The front suspension used double wishbones with coil springs, while the rear had the traditional live axle with leaf springs. A long-wheelbase version followed in April of 1969 for markets outside North America, and the engine grew to 1.6 liters in February of 1971. North American models received their own, slightly larger engines, beginning with a 1.9 liter four-cylinder and progressing to a 2.0 liter unit – Americans love their highways after all.
The second-gen Hilux arrived in May of 1972 for the 1973 model year, it brought improved comfort, a long-wheelbase option for the North American market, more transmission choices (including a 5-speed manual and 3-speed automatic), and servo-assisted dual-circuit brakes.
The third-gen arrived in 1978, and it marked a bit of a watershed moment for the series. While the rear-wheel-drive models kept their independent front suspension, a four wheel drive variant debuted in 1979 with a live front axle, leaf springs all around, and a gear-driven RF1A dual range transfer case.
This generation also brought an extended-cab model, later joined by a full four-door double cab that transformed the Hilux from a straight up workhorse into a viable five-seat family vehicle.
The overhauled interior now has bucket seats trimmed in patterned blue cloth that extends to the door panels. A power window conversion has been performed, and further amenities include air conditioning, an AM/FM radio, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.
A diesel engine option arrived in 1979 for two wheel drive models, and a vehicle development partnership between Toyota, Winnebago Industries, and other aftermarket customizers produced the Trekker, Wolverine, and Trailblazer – all fiberglass-topped SUV conversions of the Hilux 4×4 chassis that served as the direct forerunners of the (suitably named) 4Runner.
The Fourth Generation Toyota Hilux
The fourth-generation Hilux was released in 1983 and would remain in production through till 1988 in most markets. It’s the generation most closely associated with the mid-1980s, and for good reason, because it co-starred alongside the DeLorean DMC-12 in 1985’s Back to the Future, where a black 1985 SR5 Xtracab 4×4 was famously the object of Marty McFly’s desire.
It was during this generation that the North American truck was officially rebranded from “Pickup” to “Truck,” though enthusiasts continued to call it by both names with a bit of a preference for the old “Hilux” name.
The fourth-gen introduced the Xtracab body style, which added six inches of in-cab storage space behind the front seats. Exterior styling was characterized by blistered wheel arch flares front and rear, giving the truck a tougher look than its predecessors. Globally, the engine range was actually quite broad – Toyota’s history lists 1.6 and 1.8 liter gasoline engines and 2.2 and 2.4 liter diesels for rear-wheel-drive models, with a 2.0 liter gasoline and 2.4 liter diesel for four wheel drive variants.
In North America the engine story was a little different, at launch, the carbureted 2.4 liter 22R four-cylinder was carried over from the previous generation, but the 1985 model year brought the fuel-injected 22R-E. Two diesel engines were also offered, the (confusingly named) naturally-aspirated 2.4 liter 2L and the turbocharged 2L-T.
American diesel sales proved disappointing across the board, largely due to customers’ higher performance expectations and the wide availability of cheap gasoline, and the diesel options were discontinued in the United States after the 1986 model year. A turbocharged gasoline engine, the 22R-TE, followed for 1987, partly in response to Nissan, which was already offering a V6-powered truck that was proving popular.
Perhaps the most significant mechanical change came in 1986, when the solid front axle on North American four wheel drive models was replaced by an independent front suspension setup using torsion bars and double wishbones.
In April of 2024 the seller’s shop installed a 4.0 liter 1UZ-FE V8 said to have been sourced from a 1992 Lexus LS400. Various seals and bearings were replaced prior to installation, and the seller notes that Toyota-sourced parts and hardware were used wherever possible.
This made 1985 the final model year in which fuel injection was combined with a solid front axle – a one-year-only combination that has made the 1985 model particularly desirable among collectors and off-roaders.
Also in 1986, optional automatic locking hubs and an electronically controlled transfer case became available. These offered more convenience but also added more complexity.
Later Hilux Generations
The fifth-gen Hilux arrived in September of 1988 with a longer-wheelbase option, one-piece cargo-box walls that eliminated rust-prone seams, and eventually a 3.0 liter V6. The V6 Xtracab SR5 earned Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year award.
It was during this generation that Toyota discontinued the Hilux in the United States, replacing it with the new Tacoma in 1995. The sixth generation, introduced in 1997, split the range into business and personal-use lines.
The seventh, launched in 2004, moved to the IMV platform shared with the Fortuner SUV and Innova MPV, marking the Hilux’s transformation into a truly global product built across multiple continents. The eighth generation, from 2015, brought modern turbodiesel power with up to 201 bhp and contemporary safety tech. Toyota revealed the ninth-gen Hilux in late 2025, with a multi-powertrain strategy including diesel, hybrid, battery-electric, and planned fuel-cell variants depending on market.
The BBC’s Top Gear TV series famously attempted to destroy a high-mileage fourth-generation diesel Hilux by drowning it, dropping it from a building, and setting it on fire, only to watch it start up and drive away each time with nothing more than basic hand tools and a replacement windscreen. It is this hard-won reputation for reliability that’s made the Hilux the best-selling pickup truck in many of the world’s markets for over half a century and counting.
The Lexus V8-Swapped 1988 Toyota Pickup Shown Here
The fourth-gen Toyota Pickup you see here is a 1988 SR5 model, meaning it came from the factory with independent front suspension with the SR5 (Sport Runabout 5-Speed) package, but it’s now been significantly modified from its original spec.
This truck now rides on 15 inch Raceline Rockcrusher wheels shod with 32 x 11.50 inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 tires. The suspension was upgraded with Fox Performance shock absorbers, and the front hubs are Aisin manually-locking units.
This truck is now finished in Silver Metallic following a repaint completed in 2024, shortly after the seller bought the truck from Arizona earlier that same year. The exterior has side graphics, a roll bar with KC auxiliary lights (currently not connected), an LED light bar, a grille guard, a bed liner, a receiver hitch, and mud flaps.
In April of 2024 the seller’s shop installed a 4.0 liter 1UZ-FE V8 said to have been sourced from a 1992 Lexus LS400. Various seals and bearings were replaced prior to installation, and the seller notes that Toyota-sourced parts and hardware were used wherever possible. The engine sends power back through a 5-speed manual transmission fitted with a billet Marlin Crawler short-throw shifter and a dual-range transfer case.
It now rides on 15 inch Raceline Rockcrusher wheels shod with 32 x 11.50 inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 tires. The suspension was upgraded with Fox Performance shock absorbers, and the front hubs are Aisin manually-locking units.
Braking is handled by power-assisted front disc brakes with rotors and pads replaced in 2023 along with rear drums, and power steering is fitted.
This truck is now finished in Silver Metallic following a repaint completed in 2024, shortly after the seller bought the truck from Arizona earlier that same year. The exterior has side graphics, a roll bar with KC auxiliary lights (currently not connected), an LED light bar, a grille guard, a bed liner, a receiver hitch, and mud flaps.
The overhauled interior now has bucket seats trimmed in patterned blue cloth that extends to the door panels. A power window conversion has been performed, and further amenities include air conditioning, an AM/FM radio, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.
This unusual Lexus V8-powered Toyota Pickup is now being offered for sale out of McPherson, Kansas with a clean Carfax report and a clean Kansas title in the seller’s name. If you’d like to read more or place a bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben Branch 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.
