Francois Fritz's V12-powered Toyota Hilux
About four years ago, Francois Fritz had the crazy idea of converting his Toyota Hilux 3.0 D4-D Hi-Rider. Well, not just a normal conversion, but perhaps one of the craziest ever seen in South Africa.
Francois opted to take the Hilux he’d been using as a daily and replace the engine with a V12 motor. But, the engine had to come from the Toyota parts bin, and so began a search for the only V12 engine in Toyota’s portfolio. The 5.0-litre V12 (1GZ) used in the Cension.
The Cension was only produced for the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM), but Francois reached out to a contact in Japan, who sought and shipped one to him.
Will it fit?
Francois imported the engine without knowing if it’ll fit in the Hilux’s engine bay. Despite this, he and the FatBoy Fab Works team got to work removing the old engine and fitting the old new one. Fortunately, they did not have to modify engine or gearbox mounts, nor alter the bodywork.
The risk paid off and the Hilux’s new V12 engine was ready to go. Of course, a modified Hilux can’t run with a stock-standard engine. Following a few modifications and turbocharging it, the V12 now pushes 420kW and 900Nm to the rear wheels.
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As for the gearbox? Francois says they tried three Toyota four-speed automatic gearboxes designed for this V12 engine, but they never lasted. They then settled on the four-speed automatic Supra transmission, which just bolted on.
Francois signs off, saying: “I’ve been driving this bakkie as an everyday vehicle. It pulls a lot of attention, but other than that, I can play with it and use it as a daily.”
