Huey Lewis, Toyota Go Back In Time With Tacoma Lift Kits

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Posted on: 21-10-2015

Filed under All, Truck Talk

On this 21^st day of October 2015, fans of half-baked sports cars with wheezy French engines, puffy goose down ski vests, and Huey Lewis alike are clogging up the blogosphere while they wax poetically about flux capacitors and whether or not the car park next to the Puente Hills Soup Plantation is long enough for an old DeLorean to hit 88 mph. We at Supreme Suspensions are not immune to this trend and have been noticing that a few of the speculations from Back to the Future Part II were vaguely accurate. For example, hoverboards are actually a thing now (though not yet as ubiquitous as we’d hoped), the Curse of the Billy Goat was (almost) broken, and we have a blow-hard with a questionable haircut trying to run the show.

Toyota also jumped on the fanfare today by unveiling two concept models, including a gull-winged Mirai. Based on the hydrogen fuel cell-equipped production version, the show car also features bare metal bodywork and several other clever details reminiscent of Doc Brown’s timeless time machine. Since we’re more in the business of things like Tacoma lift kits than Mr. Fusion conversions, what we’re really excited about is how Toyota is going back to the past with its throwback Tacoma concept.

Timed just weeks after the launch of the 2016 Tacoma, this Back to the Future special is a clever way to draw some attention to the new model which, let’s face it, is merely another restyle of the same truck that has seen duty since the fall of 2004; read: eleven years ago. On the plus side, V6 models are fitted with a revised top-end that features direct injection and Toyota’s next generation of variable valve timing. Glossing over the tedious technical details, this all translates to improved power delivery and fuel economy ratings that make the sluggish and thirsty carryover four-cylinder seem almost unnecessary.

Inspired by the black truck that Marty McFly uses to fake-race Needles toward the end of the first film, the concept Tacoma packs Reagan-era styling touches along with some modern brawn that come together in an enduring package that we’d love to see make it to a production model. On the surface, the concept truck features a 1985-spec shade of black paint, period-correct badging, and retro-themed lenses at all four corners. It’s fitted with vintage mud flaps, tube bumpers, and a bed-mounted roll bar; the latter two sporting a bombardment of classic, yellow KC spotlights. Underneath, the tribute truck sports a raised ride height, thanks to an off-road suspension package, and rolls on a set of BFG All-Terrains wrapped around polished-lipped black TRD rims to round out the experience.

Details remain unclear if or how many of these rigs will become available for public consumption but we do know that a small number have been constructed for publicity event displays. Whether you prefer the classic simplicity of 1985’s live front axle-equipped pickup or the refinement and ubiquity of the current Tacoma, it’s hard to argue with Toyota’s consistent formula of value and durability merged into a very sensible and usable package.

We also love seeing movie and television-themed vehicles. Got a Tinseltown build of your own? Post a photo of it to our Instagram: @supreme_suspensions. Also, let’s bring back bed-mounted roll bars. When did those things stop being cool?