Over in South Africa, the Hilux is available with a choice of 2.4- and 2.8-liter engines that develop anything between 148 and 201 horsepower. This particular bakkie, an extended cab that was previously involved in a crash, levels up to 6.2 liters of AMG wizardry in the form of the M 156.
Owned by Quentin Boylan of Colt & Toyota Spares in Pretoria, the one-of-one pickup develops in excess of 500 horsepower and 465 pound-feet (630 Nm) of torque. Augmented by a black-painted engine cover with red garnish as well as a conical filter, the motor is governed by a MoTeC M150 control unit that costs in excess of $3,000 at the moment of reporting. The aftermarket ECU may be costly, but it’s worth every single cent because it can be configured for drive-by-wire systems, intercooler sprays, and so forth.
“I built this vehicle because Mercedes brought down the X-Class and I never put a proper motor in it,” Quentin told Cars.co.za. “It’s my passion building one-off vehicles.” Used as a daily driver and for towing, the V8-swapped Hilux doesn’t feature a German transmission. It’s actually running the six-speed automatic gearbox of the Hilux, although modified to take the AMG lump.
Fitted with the stock headers from the C 63 because there was no room for aftermarket units, the muscled-up truck is gunning for an OEM-plus look thanks to the red-painted AMG brake calipers up front and the diamond-stitched AMG seats that were sourced from an Opel Corsa OPC hot hatch.
Currently sitting on Davanti 275/40 by 20-inch tires wrapped around AMG-inspired wheels, the custom-built Hilux further sweetens the deal with Alcantara on the dashboard and a mix of Alcantara and leather on the steering wheel, interior door cards, and center console. Arguably the nicest pickup you’ll see driving around Johannesburg, this fellow is for sale as long as the price is right. Unfortunately, Quentin didn’t mention what kind of money he’s expecting to get on the bakkie featured in the following clip.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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