Toyota 4×4 trucks equivalent to Hilux and Land Cruiser have gained a worldwide status for his or her strength and sturdiness. In almost every modern armed conflict, you will note combatants on each side using these trucks, often with bodies covered in camouflage spray paint and a bed-mounted machine gun (also known as technique). However, also they are popular outside the military with relief groups and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The United Nations uses 1000’s of Toyota trucks in third world countries yearly, often with specific upgrades equivalent to heavy-duty bumpers, snorkels, winches and radios. The little-known company Toyota Gibraltar Stockholdings (TGS) rose to the occasion, shipping around 650 white Toyotas a month to war and disaster-torn regions all over the world.
recent video episode from the BBC programme Top gear gave us a glimpse of the Toyota Gibraltar plant, which is situated in a small 2.6 square mile British territory on the southern tip of Spain. It is an optimal location for the distribution of white Toyotas half of the world’s shipping passes through the Strait of Gibraltar between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Almost like a scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark where the camera zooms out to disclose an almost countless sea of wood crates, this BBC video shows multiple garages crammed with an astonishing variety of an identical white Toyotas. There were over 1,000 such vehicles on site on the time of filming.
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The hottest vehicle within the Toyota Gibraltar is the venerable 70-series Land Cruiser. The basic vehicles are spartan, with canvas interiors and manual locks. Most are equipped with off-road tires, upgraded bumpers, roof racks, snorkels, spare tire racks, canisters, dual batteries, and other off-road-oriented upgrades. This custom work is finished by in-house mechanics at TGS, using items from warehouses stacked floor to ceiling with parts.
Depending on the client’s needs, TGS can construct fully equipped ambulances or search and rescue vehicles. The video also shows more specialized vehicles, equivalent to a green Land Cruiser built for anti-poaching operations in Africa and a white Corolla with shatterproof film on the windows (possibly to move relief staff through dangerous cities).
This results in the query. Given the plain demand for these trucks in armed conflicts, you’ll be able to make lots of money selling them to less peaceful customers. So does Toyota Gibraltar also construct vehicles for the military and warlords? The Top Gear host explains: “They don’t make armor here. This isn’t the place to go for a military spec vehicle. Toyota and the UN they don’t need to be involved in this sort of business.” We’ll allow you to draw your individual conclusions from this statement, however it’s hard to disclaim that Toyota did he alluded to the military uses of his trucks prior to now.
Watch the 6-minute Top Gear video below:
