Hilux ~ The Indestructible Truck
As Told by Mitch Morando
The first time I saw a Toyota Hilux (pronounced “high lux”) double cab was in 1987 when I was in elementary school visiting my cousins in Japan. A 4×4 truck w/ 4 doors and a short bed is still one of the greatest ideas I’ve seen. Every trip abroad I would see the evolution of the Hilux which would never make it to the US.
In 2023-2024, our family moved to Lisbon, Portugal, for work, and I immediately began to learn about their passionate car culture. We didn’t need a car to get around Lisbon, as it’s very walkable, but our apartment did have a rare parking spot. Portugal is a left-hand drive—obviously a sign. And what if I could find a 1987 Hilux? The probability is slim, but the journey and challenge are part of the journey.
So I connected with locals and over several months, my absolute butchering of the Portuguese language, many hand gestures, and Google Translate, I started to find a few 1980s-era LN65 Hiluxes. All were in very bad shape and many had their beds converted into flatbeds as the only people who bought these were genuine farmers. The Hilux is a brute-force work truck, indestructible, and easy to fix. Case in point, Top Gear’s infamous “Killing a Toyota” where they fully submerge a Hilux in the ocean, set it on fire, drop it from a 10-story building, etc. Still started.
Hope began to fade. Then João messaged me one day saying that he got word of a farmer who had an old Hilux. João went to go see it and sent me pictures. My brain almost exploded. Stored in his barn for many years was a 1987 Hilux and in pretty decent shape! With some much-needed basic maintenance (timing belt, brakes, minor surface rust, etc) I had my daily driver. People looked at me funny, who was the “idiota” driving a pickup truck in Lisbon’s narrow streets!
Moving back to Lafayette I was certainly going to bring the newest family member.