![]() #TACOMA TRUCK MANUAL#Since this type of vehicle is meant for the outdoors and offroading, Marty felt that the manual transmission was the only way to go, powered by a 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine.ĭon’t let the photos fool you the very first thing the team did was remove the bed and cut an opening into the rear of the cab. To best honor the original Chinook, Marty and the team decided it was best to start with a 6-speed manual transmission Access Cab TRD Sport as the base for the campervan (similar footprint to the original model). Led by Team Manager, Marty Schwerter, and supported by Lead Fabricator, Brad Vetter, the project started to take shape rather quickly with the ever-famous SEMA deadline. The team was based out of the Toyota U.S. Once the concept was approved, Toyota Motorsports Garage jumped into the project headfirst. What more could you ask for? Almost 40 years later, people are still chomping at the bit to buy an old Chinook and they go for a premium on sites like Bring a Trailer. Remember, it was 1973! At the time, Toyota was producing roughly 300 models per month with features that included pop-up space for additional headroom, a water feed into the camper, storage crammed in every space possible, a step-up rear bumper, an “icebox” (old person talk for “fridge”) and it could comfortably sleep two adults. The first Toyota Chinook was sold in 1973, it averaged 20 mpg and came in at around $5,000. Back then and even today, people refer to camper trucks like this as a “house on wheels”. Throughout the 1970s and into the early 1990s, close to 50,000 Toyota camper vans were sold including the Toyota Dolphin, the Toyota Sunrader, and the Toyota Chinook. As evidenced by today’s overland popularity, that leap for Toyota paid off.Īs a result, Toyota entered into a partnership with Chinook, a California-based company known for converting trucks into campervans and motorhomes. ![]() Toyota was well-positioned to deliver on that market demand, but they also saw a growing need in the market for camper vans. The major gas crisis in the 1970s forced consumers to find vehicles that could yield better gas mileage. Long before the Tacoma was ever a thought and likely before most of us had a driver’s license, Toyota had been producing smaller trucks. If you haven’t heard, TacoZilla has been sending waves through the automotive industry (and for good reason). ![]() Rumored for too many years to count and teased often by Toyota, “TacoZilla” has made its official in-person debut. While it took a few years to get this thought from concept to actual build, Toyota finally made it happen. Take the growing popularity of Toyota trucks, an increasing desire to reconnect with nature, and the outdoor industry optimizing camping gear daily – it’s no wonder the idea seeped into the minds of Toyota’s marketing brain trust. Sure, the TRD Desert Chase Tundra was a beautiful sight and the TRD Sport Trailer certainly got the adventure blood flowing, but something completely different in the booth caught the eyes of most.Ī few years back, Toyota’s marketing department wondered what it would look like if the 1976 Toyota Chinook were made today. The 3rd Gen Toyota Tacoma Build that Rocked SEMA ’21 – A Complete Overview from Concept to LaunchĪttendees this year at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas drooled as they walked by the Toyota booth. ![]()
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