This is a 1980 Toyota SR-5 Pickup that was the subject of a collaborative rebuild by The Toy Truck Company and Truckin’ magazine in 1981 to create a Trans Am-style Toyota Pickup.
The truck was donated by Toyota specifically for this project, and it was worked on by some of the biggest names in the business at the time, including the legendary Kenny Youngblood and Ken Warner. It now rides on Porsche-style wheels with a Porsche-inspired rear wing, and the 2.2 liter 20R inline-four is fitted with a nitrous oxide system.
Fast Facts – The Trans Am Toyota Pickup
- This 1980 Toyota SR-5 Pickup was a one-off custom build by The Toy Truck Company and Truckin’ magazine in 1981, with design work by automotive artist Kenny Youngblood. It features a Trans Am racing-inspired design, Porsche-style wheels, and a nitrous-equipped 2.2 liter 20R inline-four engine.
- The Toyota Pickup, known as the Hilux outside the North American market, debuted in the U.S. in 1969 and became known for its reliability and simplicity. The SR-5 designation, introduced in 1975, denoted sportier trim, a more powerful 2.2 liter engine, and a 5-speed manual transmission, with SR-5 models from the 1970s and 1980s now highly collectible.
- The custom build included widened fenders, lowered suspension with Spax shocks, traction bars, and a Monza exhaust. A Porsche-inspired three-piece rear spoiler was added, a nitrous oxide system was fitted, and the truck received a custom paint job by Terry Robinson Exotic Paint and Body in Pomona, California.
- Now located in Bothell, Washington, this unique Toyota SR-5 Pickup, documented in Truckin’ magazine during its creation, is offered for sale on Bring a Trailer.
The Toyota SR-5 Pickup
The Toyota Pickup debuted in the United States in 1969, it was initially called the Toyota Truck and its key competitor was the Datsun Truck. Both the Toyota and Datsun were targeted at the lower end of the popular pickup truck market segment in the USA, offering a cheap reliable truck without much in the way of bells and whistles.
Those 15″ Porsches-style wheels were made by American Eagle to resemble the Fuchs wheels of the era. They were even given subtle Porsche center caps.
The Toyota Truck was named the Toyota Hilux in many global regions, the name stood for “High Luxury” though it’s been described as a misnomer. Toyota used the name to differentiate the truck from the Toyota Stout which was an even simpler and less expensive Toyota pickup truck largely aimed at developing markets – Asian nations in particular.
The “SR-5” model designation debuted on the Hilux in 1975, it simply stands for “Sport Rally 5-Speed” as it denoted a vehicle fitted with the larger (2.2 liter) 20R inline-four, a 5-speed manual transmission, and the SR5 upscale trim package.
Interestingly, the SR-5 model designation would also be used on some other Toyota models in the 1970s, including the ubiquitous Toyota Corolla.
Toyota SR-5 Pickups are now widely considered to be among the most collectible variants of the model family, particularly the vintage examples from the 1970s and 1980s. The most famous SR-5 is undoubtedly the black Toyota Pickup used in the Back to the Future trilogy and (eventually) owned by Marty McFly.
The Trans Am Toyota Pickup
The vehicle you see here is a one-off build from 1981. The entire build process was documented step-by-step in Truckin’ magazine – the truck was designed by famous automotive artist Kenny Youngblood and the build completed by Ken Warner.
That rear wing was inspired by the large wings used on the back of endurance racing Porsche 911s of the era. It was designed in three parts so that the tailgate remains completely operational.
Toyota donated a brand new 1980 Toyota SR-5 Pickup for the project, largely thanks to the fact that they knew they were going to get a whole lot of publicity from the series being published in what was one of the top custom truck magazines in North America at the time.
Kenny Youngblood drew up the plans for the final vehicle – it was to be a Trans Am racing-style Toyota Pickup and interestingly, it would take a hefty dose of inspiration from the Porsches of the era. A set of 15″ Porsche-style (Fuchs) wheels were made by American Eagle and they were fitted with BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires.
This wheel and tire combination wouldn’t fit under the wheel arches of the rear-wheel drive vehicle, but it was discovered that they could bolt on a set of front fenders from the 4×4 version of the Toyota Pickup, and these would clear the wheels no problem. A set was also cut down and used in the rear, resulting in a factory-built look.
The suspension of the truck was lowered and completely revised, with rear traction bars added as well as a rear anti-sway bar, and lowering blocks. Up front another anti-sway bar was fitted, and the truck was given Spax shock absorbers on all four corners, as well as a high-performance Monza exhaust feeding out to four tips in the rear.
The (2.2 liter) 20R inline-four was given a reworking, the most significant job was the fitment of a nitrous oxide system from Marvin Miller. There are no dyno charts available for the vehicle, but it’s safe to say that it’s vastly quicker than the original truck.
It was given a new rear spoiler that was designed specifically for this truck. It was modeled after the endurance racing spoilers on the back of Porsche 911s of the time and it was made in three parts so that the tailgate could still be used normally.
The engine was given a slew of new parts, the most significant of which was the fitment of a nitrous oxide system from Marvin Miller.
A version of this spoiler was then made from fiberglass and offered in a limited production run for $150 USD, in 1981 dollars. The truck was then sent off to Terry Robinson Exotic Paint and Body in Pomona, California where it was given a full custom respray into the paint scheme you see it wearing today.
The truck is now being offered for sale for the first time in many years out of Bothell, Washington on Bring a Trailer. If you’d like to read more about it or register to 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.
