What started off as an informal discussion between Toyota SA, the Four Wheel Drive Club of the Western Cape and Hilux 4x4 owners earlier in 2010 has ended in a new World record for the largest number of Hilux 4x4 bakkies in one place on the eve of the club's annual 4x4 Fun Day.
No less than 495 Hiluxes came together on Saturday, October 30 in the Atlantis dunes north of Cape Town. Hilux owners from across the Western Cape, with a few adventurous participants from other parts of Southern Africa, arrived with Hilux bakkies of all ages.
Amongst the participants were a few notable vehicles, including first-generation Hilux 4x4's, the legendary Hilux in which Toyota set the first and fastest 72-hour endurance record and several versions of the proudly South African-built 44 and 38 Arctic Truck Hilux bakkies that will soon start their tour of duty on Antarctica.
One of these Arctic Truck bakkies was handed to its new owners on the day, a contingent of the Indian National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, who will use the vehicle for their research and exploration in this unforgiving territory.
The fun day was supported by several 4x4 legends, including Gerhard Groenewald of the Klipbokkop 4x4 Academy, Johan Badenhorst of TV's Voetspore expeditions, André de Villiers of Safari Centre and the Safari 4x4 Roetes TV programme and Andrew St. Pierre-White, television producer and African adventurer.
Attendees were further entertained by reigning off-road champion Duncan Vos in a Hilux Special Production off-road racing bakkie and a number of lucky entrants experienced a dune drive at speed.
The Hilux record attempt was monitored and verified by a representative of the Guinness Book of World Records.