OWNER: Toshiyuki Matsuoka
RIDE: '93 Toyota Pickup
LOCATION: Tomisato City, Chiba, Japan
CLUB: Fascination Miniz
Imagine living on an island where nobody knows anything about your truck. To them, it appears strange and interesting, but chances are, they have no idea what they're looking at. You would think you could get away with anything, right? Well, this isn't the case, in Japan, pretty much anything you do to your ride is illegal and can get you in a heap of trouble. So what type of minitrucker, knowing this, goes ahead and chops something up anyway?
Minitruckers and code inspectors are notoriously at odds with each other. Regardless of what type of minitrucker you are, chances are, you will have a run-in with the law or an inspection officer. Generally, there are two types of minitruckers: those who love to go fast and those who love to lay low. In the case of Toshiyuki Matsuoka, he loves both. He doesn't like to go fast; he likes to go really fast, and we're talking 160 mph or more, with the help of NOS. Toshiyuki likes to say: "Cabin of minitruck will break when it runs the speed of 160 mph; it was so scary experience when I tried max speed. Cabin vibrates very fast at top speed." Toshiyuki built something most minitruckers wouldn't consider as a speed monster. Upon closer inspection, we realized that there is a beast inside, ready to burn rubber or tear up some asphalt.
Toshiyuki has been building trucks since he was 18 years old, and he has owned several trucks and models over the years, although he really out-did himself this time. "Most part, except for some bodywork and paint, was built by myself," he told us. He was excited to drive it, so he wanted to learn to do most of it himself to really know his way around the truck. His main goal was to get a lot of horsepower. "I wanted to swap in big motor and footing of sportscar," said Toshiyuki. When we followed him for the photo shoot, we saw he had attained his wish. The truck turned nicely through the turns and sped away in a heartbeat when he punched it in a straight away. The distinct sound of the V-8 was very noticeable, and his truck was an attraction everywhere we went.
Now that Toshiyuki has achieved his first set of goals, he plans on doing a V-8 out of a Lexus and body-dropping the truck. If it's going to be faster and lower, we can only imagine how much cooler it will become. So we'll keep an eye out, in the near future, for more from Toshiyuki.
The Lowdown
Rolling Attire
Wheels Front: Yokohama Model-7 18x8
Wheels Rear: Yokohama Model-7 19x9
Backspace Front/Rear: 44 mm
Tires Front: 215/35R18 Pirelli P7000
Tires Rear: 215/35R19 Pirelli P7000
Chassis Modifications
Suspension type: Air
Front suspension: Firestone airbags
Rear suspension: IRS from a Mazda RX-7
Spindles/springs: 2-inch drop spindles
Shocks: Hal shocks
Compressor(s): Viair
Brakes: Rotors and pistons from a Nissan Skyline (Same as Infiniti G35)
Performed by: Toshiyuki Matsuoka
City/state: Chiba, Japan
Body Modifications
Front end: 4Runner bumper
Back end: Smoothed and filled tailgate
Taillights: Molded S10 taillights and installed Euro lights
Exterior bolt-ons: Lexan rear window
Performed by: Toshiyuki Matsuoka
City/state: Chiba, Japan
Paint
Brand and Colors: Toyota Yaris
Style: Solid
Performed by: Planet Arts
City/state: Totsuka, Yokohama
Interior
Seats: Recaro seats
Door panels: Custom-made by owner
Center console: 4Runner SR5
Gauges: Dakota Digital air gauges
Performed by: Toshiyuki Matsuoka
City/state: Chiba, Japan
Stereo
Head unit: Alpine head unit 7949JG
Mids and highs: Kicker RS-6 & ND25
Amplifier for mids & highs: Kicker 2R-460
Subwoofers: Two Kicker 10-inch woofers
Amplifier for subwoofers: Kicker 2R-240
Wiring/accessories: Monster cables and Furukawas
Custom Fabrication: Alpine 8080 Security System
Performed by: Toshiyuki Matsuoka
City/state: Chiba, Japan
Engine Performance
Displacement: 383 cu. inch
Model year: '89 Chevy
Number of cylinders: 8
Head type: Trick-flow aluminum head
Internals: Roller lockers
Camshaft: Crane camshaft
Transmission: Toyota five-speed
Intake: Damon carburetor on a Holley intake, NOS
Ignition: Mallory coil, MSD digital 6
Driveshaft: Modified Toyota
Rearend type: Nissan R200 Differential mated to Mazda IRS
Battery: Optima 850
Location: Behind cab
Special thanks (from the owner):
Planet Arts for bodywork and paint, and to Art of Work, "for teaching me many things."