Taking the humble Toyota Hilux and shoe-horning a V8 under the bonnet is a rather common practice in this part of the world. This is thanks in part to the amount of Toyota V8 engines kicking about the place — like the 1UZ Lexus LS400 engine, for example.
However, you're much more unlikely to find a swap in a latter-generation Hilux. And you're especially unlikely to find an engine of German descent used in such a swap.
Enter this white super-cab two-wheel drive Hilux. It's unassuming enough looking at first (unless your eye recognises the AMG-esque striping package, that is), but once fired up the familair low burble of a Mercedes-AMG V8 growls into lif — marking this as being anything but your standard issue utility.
The AMG unit particular is a variant of the tuning firm's naturally aspirated 6.2-litre. This is an engine that started off its life as the M156 in the 2007 Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG, making 354kW of power and 630Nm of torque, before being rammed into a wide variety of AMG's finest.
These included the E63 AMG, C63 AMG, and even the big ML63 SUV. With each application it would get tinkered with and refined, until it got its biggest refresh with the M159 — which is still used today in the current AMG GT. In short, it's a fairly decorated engine.
The South African-based build, led by Quentin Boylan, is well done and also includes a set of Brembo brakes and tweaks to the suspension. Perhaps though the most amusing thing is that the gearbox.
It's unknown whether the manual transmission is the factory Hilux unit or some other breathed-on replacement, but regardless it's paired to an engine that never came with a manual option when new. And being manual only makes the 6.2's sweet, loud bellow all the more sweter.
My only reservation? Those Brembos should probably be a little bigger ...