Terrorists love Toyota pickups!

[Capt Worley PE]

The truck even has a war named after it: the so-called “Toyota War” between Libya and Chad in the 1980s was dominated by fighters using the light, mobile Hilux. Indeed, Africa, says Kilcullen, is where the truck got its nickname as a fighting vehicle, “the technical.” “When [nongovernmental organizations] and the U.N. first went into Somalia,” he says, referring to a period in the 1990s, “they were not able to bring their own guards. So they got so-called ‘technical assistance grants’ to hire guards and drivers on the ground. Over time, a ‘technical’ came to mean a vehicle owned by a guard company, and then eventually to mean a Hilux with a heavy weapon mounted on the back.”
The Toyota is such a widespread and powerful weapon for insurgents, says Dr. Alastair Finlan, who specializes in strategic studies at Britain’s Aberystwyth University, because it acts as a “force multiplier.” It is “fast, maneuverable, and packs a big punch [when it’s mounted with] a 50-caliber [machine gun] that easily defeats body armor on soldiers and penetrates lightly armored vehicles as well.” It is particularly dangerous, he adds, against lightly armed special-forces operatives.

Really interesting article at:

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/10/14/why-reb...yota-hilux.html

 

[snickerd3]

i just saw that article.

 

[Sschell]

I like the pics:

 

[FusionWhite]

Gives new meaning to the term "Road Rage". I wonder if I could get the shop down the street to bolt a 50-cal mount in the bed of my old truck. Or for that matter, that might be a good DIY project.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

I wish they still sold small pickups here. Ranger is the only one left, and it'll be going away soon.

 

[Road Guy]

I guess if your using your Toyota pickup for war would that fall under the "extreme" use for oil changes? Or could you stick with every 5,000 miles ?

 

[jeb6294]

I've got a Hilux to drive while I'm over here. It's actually not a bad little truck...4x4, 4-door, 5-speed, diesel...I'd bring one home with me if I could. The only downside is that it has a big dent in it where a truck backed into it on one of the jobsites.

 

[Flyer_PE]

I guess if your using your Toyota pickup for war would that fall under the "extreme" use for oil changes? Or could you stick with every 5,000 miles ?

There's an implied assumption that the truck actually makes it over 5,000 miles in this capacity.

 

[OSUguy98]

I wish they still sold small pickups here. Ranger is the only one left, and it'll be going away soon.

I didn't realize they've scheduled to discontinue production... that sucks, I was looking to buy one when my dad's old '87 finally keels over... it's still running fairly good, suffers more from not running than anything... it's only got about 67k on it....

 

[Dleg]

The old Hiluxes were awesome. I still have my 1990, 2WD Hilux with the Australian-made aluminum flatbed. I love that truck. The cab is rusting all to hell now, and a damn dirty dog tore out my tail light wiring harness, but I still drive it on the weekends for utility purposes, and I get at least one inquiry per week form someone driving by, wanting to buy it.

I just gotta find me a .50, now.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Back in the late nineties, there was an outfit around here that did a good business buying up used eighties 'yota pickups and shipping them to South America for resale.