Toyota’s ‘Back to the Future’ Tacoma a Blast from the Past

Nov 10, 2015

2016 Toyota Tacoma Back To the Future

Recently, fans around the world celebrated the 30th Anniversary of “Back to the Future,” and the “future” date (October 21, 2015) Marty McFly and Doc Brown traveled to in the second film in the series. Toyota, too, had a little fun with the special date, as well, unveiling a ‘Back to the Future”-inspired Toyota Tacoma, as well as the new hydrogen cell vehicle Mirai for fans.

If you remember from the movie: McFly had his eye on a Toyota pick-up that was being sold at the fictional Statler Toyota. Then, it was an all-black, custom-built 4X4 Toyota Hilux (which was sold in the U.S. from 1972 to 1995 and was ultimately replaced by the Tacoma). To commemorate the movie, Toyota released a retro 2016 Tacoma, modeled after McFly’s dream car. The team at Toyota Knoxville couldn’t help but admire the newly introduced Tacoma; it features that sturdy build of today’s line, but with cool, throwback details. It’s something you have to see for yourself.

Take a Look at the ‘Back to the Future’ Tacoma

The Tacoma was introduced in an ad for Statler Toyota, the dealership in McFly’s hometown of Hill Valley. Jimmy Joe Statler comes out and shows off the pick-up; you can watch the ad here:

The Tacoma is a modernized version of McFly’s Toyota Hilux, which he drove at the end of ‘Back to the Future: Part II.” It’s Toyota revamped 2016 Tacoma, which features an updated body and interior features. But the truck is also equipped with a ton of retro-inspired details like tubular front and rear bumpers, the ‘T-O-Y-O-T-A” letters painted onto the tailgate, off-road suspension, mud flaps and a light bar. The most noticeable similarity though: Those signature KC HiLites in the front and on the light bar.

The result: A Tacoma that looks like the truck McFly drives in the movie. We wish we could get our hands on one at Toyota Knoxville; it’s a super cool, aggressive-looking Tacoma, and who wouldn’t want to drive a truck inspired by one of the greatest movies of the 1980s. The Tacoma is certainly as cool, if not more, than Doc Brown’s DeLorean.

Toyota Officially Introduces the Mirai

But the Tacoma wasn’t the only vehicle Toyota unveiled to commemorate the “Back to the Future” anniversary. The automaker also rolled out its newly introduced Toyota Mirai. The Mirai is the first hydrogen cell vehicle that’s available for sale in the U.S., and Toyota has plans to introduce the up to 2,000 vehicles over the next few years.

The Mirai is a modern engineering marvel. It’s powered entirely by hydrogen fuel, and the only by-product of burning the fuel is water vapor. That means the Mirai is one of the most-efficient vehicles available in the country. Plus, the vehicle has a range of 312 miles, greatly improving the distance of hydrogen cell vehicles. It’s available now for drivers in California, where hydrogen fueling stations are more prevalent. For the release, Toyota hosted a party in front of the Hill Valley Courthouse, the fictional location from ‘Back to the Future.” And the first 300 Mirai owners were invited.

The entire ‘Back to the Future” idea was inspired by Toyota’s commitment to producing vehicles of the future. And the Mirai is certainly a perfect example. We’ve written about the Mirai before, and we couldn’t be more excited about it at Toyota Knoxville. If you’d like to learn more, check out Toyota’s video for the release, featuring Doc Brown and Marty McFly: