Amanda Livingston - 1979 Toyota Pickup
Story by Adam Gordon
Photography by Chris Gosda (@photosbycg13)
The evergreen Toyota Pickup has become something of a blank canvas over the years. Some become faithful restorations, while others evolve into dedicated workhorses or lifted trail rigs. Every once in a while, though, one lands somewhere completely unexpected. Amanda Livingston’s 1979 Toyota Pickup doesn’t borrow from a single era of the minitruck scene as much as it pulls together decades of import culture into one small, highly unusual package.
“I have always been an import girl,” Livingston explains. “Then I fell in love with a minitrucker.” That combination was enough to change the entirety of her garage. She’d always had a soft spot for vintage Toyotas, and when this truck appeared, she knew it was the one. The body already had all the right proportions: compact, simple, and unmistakably Japanese. Rather than leaning entirely into nostalgia, the plan became finding a way to build the truck she’d been imagining for years.
That vision wasn’t based solely on polished paint or a simple horsepower goal. It started with a question that sounded just impractical enough to be worth pursuing: what if a first-generation Toyota Pickup could use the engine and complete all-wheel-drive system from a Subaru WRX?
Making all-wheel drive work was only part of the challenge. The Toyota is powered by the engine from the 2002 WRX donor as well, turning the vintage pickup into a 450-horsepower combination that bears virtually no mechanical resemblance to what Toyota built in 1979. A Precision 6266 turbo sits prominently in the open engine bay, supported by ID1050X injectors, a SpeedFactory Racing intercooler, and TiAL blow-off valve and wastegate. Rather than hiding the swap, Livingston made the hardware part of the truck’s visual identity, with polished piping and brightly finished chassis components contrasting against the weathered Toyota body.
Accommodating all of that Subaru hardware meant going considerably further than modifying the original Toyota chassis. A full custom frame provides the foundation for the build, allowing the complete 2002 WRX drivetrain and fully functioning all-wheel-drive system to live beneath the compact pickup body.
The chassis is just as much a part of the presentation as the powertrain. A two-pump Pitbull hydraulic setup drops the Toyota dramatically over its wheels, while much of the hardware and fabrication remains deliberately visible in the bed. The hydraulic equipment, reservoir, rear chassis structure, cooling components, and exposed rear wheels transform what would normally be cargo space into another showcase for the engineering underneath the truck.
The body itself provides an almost complete contrast to what’s happening beneath it. Livingston retained the Toyota’s weathered finish and visible patina rather than covering everything in fresh paint. Against the polished engine hardware and brightly finished chassis components, the aged sheetmetal gives the truck an identity that a perfectly restored body arguably couldn’t. From a distance it still looks unmistakably like an old Toyota Pickup; up close, almost everything underneath tells a different story.
The 17x8 Enkei TS-5 wheels wrapped in Nitto Neo Gen tires continue that approach. Their simple five-spoke design suits the compact Toyota body, while the weathered finish works naturally alongside the truck’s aged exterior. Laid out on hydraulics, the Toyota nearly swallows the wheels beneath its small arches, giving it the proportions of a traditional minitruck without making the overall build feel locked to a single era.
The cabin carries the same old-meets-new philosophy inside. Instead of removing every trace of the Toyota’s original character, the custom interior works around the vintage surroundings. Brown upholstery is paired with plaid inserts across the seats, center console, door panels, and headliner, creating a coordinated interior that still feels appropriate inside a late-1970s pickup.
Performance-oriented details reveal what’s hiding underneath the vintage Toyota shell. A Sparco steering wheel sits ahead of the driver, while a COBB Accessport mounted beside the instrument cluster brings modern Subaru engine management directly into view. A wood Toyota shift knob provides another connection to the truck’s origins, and a row of polished switches mounted beneath the dash adds another custom detail without overwhelming the otherwise period-influenced cabin.
That combination of eras is what separates Livingston’s Toyota from a conventional engine-swapped pickup. The WRX hardware wasn’t simply installed to make more power, and the minitruck elements weren’t added independently of the mechanical package. The engine, all-wheel-drive system, custom chassis, hydraulics, exposed bed hardware, aged bodywork, wheels, and interior all contribute to the same idea: keeping the unmistakable character of a 1979 Toyota while completely reinventing what exists underneath it.
That ultimately makes Livingston’s Toyota difficult to categorize. From a distance, the patina, proportions, and laid-out stance still read as an old-school minitruck. Get closer and the Precision turbo appears over the grille. Look underneath and there’s a custom chassis supporting an all-wheel-drive Subaru powertrain. Look in the bed and the fabrication becomes part of the display. Even inside, vintage Toyota details live alongside modern Subaru engine management.
None of those ingredients should necessarily belong together. On Livingston’s 1979 Toyota Pickup, that’s precisely why they do.
ESSENTIALS
VEHICLE:
1979 Toyota Pickup
OWNER:
Amanda Livingston
LOCATION:
Boomer, North Carolina
HORSEPOWER:
450 hp
SOCIAL:
IG: @livingstonmotorsports
ENGINE:
Precision 6266 turbo + ID1050X injectors + SpeedFactory Racing intercooler + TiAL blow-off valve and wastegate
DRIVETRAIN:
2002 Subaru WRX drivetrain with fully functioning all-wheel drive
WHEELS / TIRES / BRAKES:
Enkei TS-5 wheels – 17x8 + Nitto Neo Gen tires
CHASSIS / SUSPENSION:
Full custom frame + Pitbull 2-pump hydraulic setup
INTERIOR:
Full custom interior
SHOPS / INSTALLERS:
Nu Image Window Tint + Mike’s Paint & Fab (frame painting)
SPONSORS:
XS Power Batteries
PHOTO CREDIT:
Photography by Chris Gosda — @photosbycg13
GALLERY
