Any automobile enthusiast can agree on this, Toyota has long been known for its dependability and reliability. From designing the sturdiest cars to building the most simple and badass pickup trucks, Toyota has done it all.
And in this article, we are talking about one such vehicle. Toyota Pickup from the 1980s. Some of you might have heard the tales of a pickup truck from Toyota that was nearly indestructible.
Yes, that was Toyota Pickup from the 1980s. And here’s how it went through a number of tests and survived them all.
What was the Challenge & the Aim?
As Toyota is famous for being reliable, back in 2010, Top Gear professionals decided to put its dependability to test.
The challenge was to pick a 1980’s Toyota Pickup truck out from a farm and put it to several tests, the results of which would decide whether or not Toyota deserves the title of being super reliable.
And TopGear did just that. They took out an old Toyota Pickup truck from the 1980s and made it go through numerous harsh tests.
But, there was one rule.
Through the entire testing process, the mechanics can only use the basic tools to fasten screws or reconnect wires. They CAN NEITHER INSTALL ANY NEW SPARE PARTS NOR REPLACE THE OLD ONES.
Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Let’s dive right in to see how it went.
Test #1: Driving Down the Stairs
If you ever drove over an uneven road, you would know the pains. The vehicle’s screws loosen up and for sure it’s an unpleasant experience that tests the car’s quality and patience.
Guess what? Top Gear professionals decided to drive the truck down hundreds of stairs for the first test.
Results: The truck was in perfect condition.
Test #2: Let’s Test the Waters
As a part of the second test, the Pickup was driven into a tree to damage its front right side. This happened just before the first major test.
The team now drove the damaged vehicle to the Seven Estuary and parked it there. This is a place with the world’s highest sea tides (upto 40 feet high).
The Pickup is all tied to the shore and the wait for sea tides begins.
As the tides hit this truck, it stays tied to the shore, until the ropes finally lose the hold and it gets swayed away. But the test must go on, right? The search begins and here’s how it looks afterwards.
Results: Even though a sense of disappointment starts to grow, with a few knocks and mild repairs, the engine starts up fresh.
Test #3: Run into a Cabin & Get hit by a
Now the truck is driven into a wooden cabin at a quick pace. Then comes the turn of a Mistral GT being thrown at the top of the Pickup and when that too doesn’t satisfy the Top Gear team, they collide it with the destructor itself.
See pictures for a better idea.
And it was still in perfect shape
Yes, that’s a Mistral GT
This tool is used to fall skyscrapers
Results: No essential components were damaged. Even though the exteriors had started losing shape, the car moved perfectly.
Test #4: Fire in the Hole
As all the other tests failed to do enough damage, the team planned to set the truck on fire.
But did it do enough? Well, here are the results to decide:
Yes, the truck survived fire, only with the burn marks.
Test #5: Can we Really Not Destroy it?
When this Toyota survived all the above tests, the team planned to place it at the top of a 200 feet high building, and destroy the building, with another adjacent building.
Sounds exciting, right? Here’s what happened.
And then this happens.
Indeed, this was a great trial and most objects in the world would fail to survive an accident like this. But was that the fate of this Toyota?
Results: Reconnecting the battery wires and fastening a few nuts got the engine to start up and roar again.
It’s undoubtedly amazing to see how an old Toyota Pickup survived such tortures and still wasn’t destroyed. The same truck is now preserved at a museum, and you can check out the entire story at TopGear.com’s YouTube channel.
Moving further, Toyota is a brand that has always won the hearts of its customers by offering unmatched quality. If you too have a Toyota, you can make it last generations with proper maintenance and quality spare parts that can be found at partsgeek.com.
Damage Received at the End of the Test
When the series of tests ended, the truck was still in fine condition. And what do we mean by fine?
As we said in the last section, the Toyota Pickup was still working. After a few wiring fixes and few wrench movements, the truck was able to start the engine, and even be driven.
For a better idea, you can look at the before and after comparison photos below.
This is how the Toyota Pickup looked before the tests started
And this is how this Toyota Pickup was looking after the tests ended. Yes, it’s axle is out of alignment, you can’t find its bonet or the bumpers, but guess what? You can still drive this ultimate survivor.
Seems surprising, right? Well, the most surprising thing about these tests was that the Toyota survived them. No wonder, people love it.
Wrapping up
Toyota has long been popular for its reliability, build quality and the flawlessly powerful engines that drive enthusiasm among the minds of all motor lovers. But, is that all about the goodness of Toyota?
Well, in this article we discussed the series of harsh tests that a regular Toyota Pickup truck from the 1980s was put to test by TopGear.com.
And yes, it survived and roared back; everytime. Here, we covered the same story with our readers. We hope you enjoyed reading it.
