Another surviving Toyota, another chance to look into the brand’s early ascendance years. An early chapter built on the backs of straightforward sturdy trucks and pickups. The Stout played its role well in those early international efforts; making quite an impression in developing nations, and even appearing briefly in the US from 1964 to 1969.
On its native Japan the Stout belonged to a now-gone midsize truck segment, competing directly with Nissan’s Junior truck line. The model has appeared before at CC, with an Outtake covering its technicals and background (that old post includes the first shots of mine to appear at CC).
By the time the Stout was conceived, it was clear Toyota’s early American foray was floundering. The Crown had flopped and the Corona (Tiara) wasn’t doing much better. It was up to the Land Cruiser to keep Toyota’s US efforts going while reinforcements arrived. Meanwhile, Nissan’s light trucks had found unexpected acceptance in the competitive US market. Toyota obviously took notice; in non-drammatic fashion the risk-averse company retrieved its unpopular sedans, prepping for a later offensive.
Following Nissan’s lead, Toyota placed its international ambitions on trucks in the meantime. Doing so, early Toyota qualities were evident; set backs and adversity were to be steadily confronted in a careful and studious manner.
After launch in its native Japan in 1960, the Stout would arrive stateside in ’64. Talking about the States, Toyota was still making use of plenty of American cues in their styling. Japanese stylists of the time were quite the cherry-pickers, and it’s rather difficult to tell what comes from where.
Not that the Stout is derivative; whatever its influences, it has a look all of its own. And even though veering a bit into Toyota’s stodgy tendencies, the design works and offers a rather likeable and affable vibe.
The wraparound windshield is the clearest US affectation and fits rather nicely. The locals liking for aftermarket add-ons make an appearance here, with an odd industrial-like aluminum sun visor. Considering the tropical sun, the visor may be a must to keep the greenhouse qualities of the windshield under control.
The Stout’s styling is a mix of industrial-simplicity, staid styling flourishes, and utility. As is rather known early adopters of the brand found a reliable and trusty machine. In due time, those qualities found enough favor to even outsell Nissan’s Junior in developing nations.
That said, Nissan had the compact pickup segment to themselves. It would take Toyota a while to catch up, as the Coronaline pickup was as much of a dud as the sedan had been. The Corona and Publica affairs were setbacks that sent the company into deep assessment in order to correct course.
This post’s CC is a fairly early Stout, from 1963 per its owner. The dual headlights and steel grille being firstly used on that year.
The original 1960 face was a simpler affair. The model would prove popular enough to grant three facelifts, with minor updates in the mechanicals all throughout its run from ’60 to ’78.
The existence of this post’s Stout was not a complete surprise to me. Indeed it was a delayed encounter, as my wife got some captures of it a few years ago while on the move. This not being a large city, I had been waiting to come across it sooner or later.
An encounter that admittedly took longer than I expected. Yet, as its parked-by-the-curbside sight came into view during my drive, I braked and parked abruptly as if by Pavlovian conditioning. I bolted from my seat, cell phone in hand, knowing I had finally found my prey.
In the back appears a Didea S.A. badge, the local dealer that got on the Toyota-train back in 1953. It still exists to this day, both as a car dealer (Toyota and others) and as major real state developer (a bit on their history appears in an older Corona (Tiara) post of mine).
Up close I was glad to see the vehicle was still in great condition, though with enough signs it gets frequent use. The interior’s American tinges are readily evident as well. Probably rather luxurious in its native Japan, and quite up to par with what was being offered elsewhere.
A view of the Stout’s interior, sans glare, appears on this ad’s insert.
In other markets, like Australia, Toyota extolled the midsize truck virtues of the Stout. No idea how much research the company placed on its print ads back then, but they were certainly peculiar. Advertising in the ’60s is an alien world, for sure.
Stouts are still found rather often in Central America, generally engaged in some farming work. These shots come from the Marketplace, where sellers make a point to extoll the little truck’s attributes.
The face on those Marketplace Stouts probably carry the post-’67 facelift, which would remain until the model’s last year in ’78. By the early ’80s, both the Stout and the Junior were to be axed, with their parent companies creating new successful pickup lines in their place.
While successful elsewhere, the Stout wasn’t quite what the US market needed, selling only modestly. Still, those years in retreat proved fruitful; by the late ’60s Toyota’s revised lineup would quickly gain acceptance and overtake Nissan’s lead. Steadily, the company brought new products that offered what customers wanted and needed. All based on a methodical unexciting research approach, that while lacking in drama, made the company’s products ubiquitous just about everywhere. I mean, just look at those yellow Toyotas behind our feature Toyota…
Further reading:
Cohort Outtake: Toyota Stout, Double Cab And Regular Cab, Doubly Stout
Curbside Classic: ’70-’82 Nissan Junior – Coffee Picking Season
I’ve never seen one in the wild. I can say that around 1968 I would see Datsun pickups similar to the one shown above. My location was northern Illinois farm town so not really import friendly except for VW and a few SAABs and Volvos. It wasn’t until the 70s that we would see Toyota trucks there. I’m sure people on the west coast would have a different experience.
And I’ll say it again as others have, I still don’t understand why somebody isn’t making a true mini pickup today.
Reminds me a lot of a mid sixties International.
I was thinking the love child of an International pickup and a Chevrolet Apache pickup with a little Corvair DNA showing around the headlights. 😉
Just as International was getting ready to launch the Scout, Toyota beats them to the punch with the Stout which just coincidentally looks just like a 3/4 sized International pickup. Mmmm?
That was my association too:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/separated-at-birth-1961-ih-c-series-and-1963-toyota-stout/
I saw a fair number of these in CA after I moved there in ’76, and I was very attracted to them. In fact, I wanted one (still do). The little Datsuns’ cabs were just too tight for me, so a step up in size was compelling.
If I had found one back in 1987 when I was in the hunt for a weekend brush hauler, I might well have gotten one instead of the F100.
I was quite the motor-head kid in the ’60’s.
Dad had a ’61 Mini, and I recall many odd orphans such as Subaru 360’s, Fiat 850’s (sedan, fastback & Spyder) old Volvo 544’s, hunchback ’48 Buicks, ubiquitous fintail Mercedes, and even Amphicars.
But as formidable as the early Stouts appear, I don’t recall seeing them on the streets.
Possibly because I was on the east coast . Peehaps Toyotas were more numerous in California where they were directly imported to ….
Long Island ad, mid-1967; I’d forgotten about “Port Of Entry” pricing:
Toyota Stouts were still in regular use in south western Tasmania when I left there both Lite and heavy duty models they are tough units, Toyota kept the Stout alive as a sub brand of the Hilux well into the 80s though probably only as a JDM model Ive seen advertising listing them though not actual metal versions, Very very few left alive in NZ pickups got worked into the ground as replacements werent easy to get and when the ex JDM tsunami occurred thousands of old vehicles were simply scrapped in favour of a shiny fresh one.
Looks like a late “50’s/early “60’s” , american p/u.
“Stout”. A name only the 1960s could love.
Aside from the name, an attractive little truck. I’d take one. I really like the turn signals embedded in the hood look. I’ve never seen one here. Perhaps not many made it to the East coast of the US.
I admired these as they went by in Southern California in the 60’s & 70’s. They seemed liked a perfect size – larger than the mini pickups but not full sized. They also appeared large enough that real people could drive them without permanent physical disfigurement. I don’t know how the pricing compared to full sized pickups, but the market obviously wasn’t as excited about them as I was.
Great article on a welcome survivor.
Another good article .
The only two Stouts I encountered for sale were 4 cylinder, I guess too old for an inline 6 ?.
That would have made them far more popular in the 1960’s .
I remember those Datsun 1200 pickups too, two were abandoned near my house in th late 1980’s, I should have grabbed them but didn’t .
Just today I saw one in the parking lot being used to get groceries in Inglewood, Ca.
-Nate
Other than seeing a very few and remembering them, I know nothing about Stouts, except that they were Toyotas. Or perhaps I should say Toyotas that looked like International light trucks. Even the Internationals weren’t popular, but I did see more of them. Not sure which came out first, but a definite resemblance.
The little Datsuns I recall too, they while not exactly popular, seemed much more prevalent than the Toyos. Actually they might have been popular, but not for long. Speaking of, a 1200cc truck? Even a little, light one? Now I’ve at times, not pushed, but just blasted thru the cc/weight equation on the low side, but 1200 for even a mini truck seems lacking. A 1600 sure, but 1200? I think 1200 cc VW bug, vs, 1600 cc VW van.
VW Vans, rated at 3/4 ton had 36HP engines until 1959 .
Well into the 1970’s it seemed every GearHead had a story about getting stuck behind a slow old VW van chugging up a hill in second gear .
-Nate
Exactly. I was briefly a gofer for an import auto repair shop. The vehicle I picked things up in was a 36HP Bus. One day from a stoplight, uphill with wind in our face, a rapid transit bus just walked away from me. I doubt he knew we were racing. Literally, it couldn’t keep up with traffic empty, let alone loaded.
A 1600 Bus, while not exactly a terror at Friday night drags, could keep up, sort of, most of the time, maybe, could keep up with traffic. But a 1200? OMG, they were so slow they were almost a hazard.
Go to vancouver Washington Toyota dealer they have a beautiful example in the showroom along with a RT43 Corona
Vancouver Washington Toyota stout
Kal ;
_PLEASE_ post a picture of that RT43 ! .
-Nate
Plenty of these in 1960s New Guinea. The plastic hubcaps usually didn’t last long, and the thin black vinyl upholstery wasn’t much more durable.
Dad preferred the Falcon utes, and two hundred pounds of nails helped reduce the rear end dancing on the corrugated dirt roads.