This is a 1983 Toyota Pickup SR5 that benefits from a range of recent work, including a full respray in tan with tri-color graphics on the hood and down both sides. The “SR5” in the model name means that this is a “Sport Rally” truck with a 5-speed manual transmission.
These early fourth-generation Toyota Pickups are considered highly desirable, many prefer the fact that they have live axles front and back, with vehicles from 1986 onwards receiving independent front suspension that was added for more comfort on the road.
Fast Facts – Toyota Pickup SR5 4×4 5-Speed
- This 1983 Toyota Pickup SR5 is an early fourth-generation model, featuring live axles front and back – a setup preferred by many off-road enthusiasts over the independent front suspension introduced in 1986. It recently underwent a full respray in tan with tri-color graphics on the front and sides.
- The truck is powered by a 2.4 liter 22R inline-four engine, producing 97 bhp and 128 lb ft of torque. It’s paired with a 5-speed manual transmission and a dual-range transfer case, allowing for rear-wheel or four-wheel drive operation.
- The vehicle weighs approximately 2,800 lbs, making it considerably lighter than most American pickups of the time. It features front disc brakes, rear drums, front locking hubs, and rides on black steel wheels with chrome hub caps and BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A tires.
- The interior is finished in period-appropriate brown and beige, with bucket seats, a small center console, and wood trim on the dashboard. It retains its original AM/FM/cassette stereo and comes with the owner’s manual, service records, and a clean California title.
The Fourth Generation Toyota Pickup Truck
Toyota released the fourth generation version of its pickup truck in 1983, it had similar styling to the third generation model but offered a slew of upgrades to make it more comfortable and more competitive in the North American market. This truck was officially called the Toyota Pickup in the USA, but it was known as the Toyota Hilux in much of the rest of the world.
Toyota’s period advertisements for the Pickup typically boasted about its off-road ability and its cargo carrying capacity for its size. Image courtesy of Toyota.The Xtracab extended cab option was first offered in the fourth generation model, as was the fuel-injected 22R-E engine, and in 1986 the front/rear live axle set up was changed for an independent front end coupled with a live axle rear for more comfortable road handling. Many off-road purists still prefer the twin live axles however.
Like the earlier generations the fourth iteration of the Hilux would make use of a steel ladder chassis with a stamped steel body on top, a standard layout for many four wheel drives.
Toyota was designing their truck to be smaller than the popular American pickup trucks like the best-selling Ford F150, with better fuel economy, and oftentimes better reliability.
It was a strategy that worked well for them both in the North American market and around the world, known as the Hilux internationally the truck became a de facto form of transport for everyone from the Mujahideen in Afghanistan and FARC rebels in Colombia, to roofers in the USA and farmers in Australia.
The Hilux is now in its eight generation and its popularity is showing no signs of slowing down.
The clean, simple lines of the Toyota Pickup are hard to find fault with, and these vintage examples have been rapidly climbing in popularity as a result.The 1983 Toyota Pickup SR5 Shown Here
The truck you see here is one of the nicer examples of the Toyota Pickup that we’ve seen in recent memory. As mentioned in the introduction, the truck has been given a full respray in tan with a series of retro trim-color graphics applied over the top, this was all done in 2023 so it’s still completely new.
Power is provided by a 2.4 liter 22R inline-four producing 97 bhp at 4,800 rpm and 128 lb ft of torque at 2,800 rpm. The curb weight of this model was approximately 2,800 lbs, so it was considerably lighter than most of the competing American pickups from the time.
This engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission which sends power back through a dual-range transfer case to either the rear wheels only, or to all four wheels, depending on the driver’s preference. It rides on lives axles front and back on leaf springs, it has front disc brakes and rear drums, and it has front locking hubs.
Underneath the rear of the bed you’ll find a spare wheel, and inside the cab you’ll find two bucket seats with a small center console. The interior is almost entirely finished in brown and beige, very in-vogue colors at the time, and the dashboard has some wood trim.
Inside you’ll find a brown and beige interior with some wood trim on the dashboard. This truck is a 5-speed manual with a dual-range transfer case, and it has power steering.The original stereo head unit is still in place offering AM/FM/cassette, it has dual side mirrors, a sliding rear window, a chrome front bumper, and it rides on black steel wheels with chrome hub cabs, shod with BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A tires measuring 31×10.5″. The rest bumper has been deleted.
The truck is now being offered for sale on Bring a Trailer out of San Diego, California at no reserve with the owner’s manual, service records, and a clean California title in the seller’s name. If you’d like to read more about it or place a bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
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.
