How Fast Could a Toyota Pickup Go, if a Toyota Pickup Could Go Fast?

Whether it’s the Top Gear bit trying to kill a Hilux or the owners who proudly cross off 100,000-mile increments with apparent ease, the 1990s were an era that put Toyota on the map for its reputation for durability. Now, thanks to a partnership with Banks Powersports, one Toyota pickup can also say it’s crazy fast in a standing half-mile. Like, 173 miles per hour fast.

The truck was built by Chuckles Garage, better known as the outfit that built “Old Smoky,” the diesel-powered 1949 Ford F-1 that raced up Pikes Peak. After a crash put that truck back into project status, this Toyota entered and became a slightly smaller but just as beastly project.

According to the video it is built to run at the Bonneville salt flats in the stock body division, which is why it retains enough features to be instantly recognizable despite having a 2JZ inline-six stuffed under the hood. According to Scott Birdsall, the man who built the truck, it is making roughly 1200 horsepower with the wick turned all the way up. Since this test and tune was the truck’s first outing its output was never supposed to be that close to the edge. However, the electronics of the truck had other plans.

After a first pass to shake out any potential issues, the onboard data collection shows that the engine was making a righteous 42psi of boost. That is hardly a mild tune, and it explains why the 225-section tires on the rear were never really able to hook up and convert all that power into forward motion. Modern tuning can be incredibly complicated, but the data collection capabilities of modern sensors and ECU modules are amazing and enable us to learn more with less damage since we are no longer testing to failure to find the limit.

This truck didn’t get the luxury of a measured approach, though, and on its second trip down the track, Birdsall went for it and planted his right foot all the way through the timing stripe. With some tuning and sorting, we expect this truck to do something interesting should it make a few clean runs on the salt flats this year as it takes on the 189.460mph record set in 2020.