The more unique and sought-after JDM car models often find their way into the garage of Mr. Dang Le Nguyen Vu, popularly known as “Qua” Vu or the “Coffee King” of Vietnam. The latest addition to his collection is a Toyota Publica sports car modified in the style of a pickup truck.
As soon as this modified Toyota Publica was acquired by a supercar dealership from a car enthusiast, it was promptly delivered to the garage of Mr. Dang Le Nguyen Vu, who is known for his enthusiasm for unique automobiles.
The Toyota Publica, a compact car produced from 1961 to 1978, was designed to meet the requirements of the Japanese government’s “national car concept.” It was the smallest Toyota car of its time and was eventually replaced by the Toyota Starlet, which was initially a variation of the Publica.
While it was only available as a two-door model, the Publica offered a range of body styles, including a base sedan, wagon, convertible, coupe, and even a utility coupe (pickup truck) configuration. The latter outlived other variants by a decade and spawned other models such as the Toyota Sports 800 and the Toyota MiniAce.
In 1962, a two-door “light truck” version was introduced, essentially a wagon but classified as a commercial vehicle in Japan. A derivative model, the Toyota Sports 800 (initially marketed as the “Publica Sport”), made its debut at the 1962 Tokyo Motor Show.
Toyota added a new Deluxe trim level in 1963, internally designated as the “UP10D” type, which featured “luxuries” such as reclining seats, a heater, radio, and additional chrome trim (the original model was then referred to as the Standard). With the introduction of the Deluxe, demand finally picked up, and when a convertible model was added in the same year, Publica sales reached their target of 3,000–4,000 units per month.
In February 1964, a utility coupe (pickup truck) joined the lineup, and in September, the engine’s power was increased to 32 PS (24 kW) while the Deluxe trim level was made available for the wagon version. For the first time in this segment in Japan, Toyota also offered a two-speed semi-automatic transmission option, known as Toyoglide (coded as A20). These options are rare today, as most mechanics at the time had little knowledge of how to repair automatic transmissions.
In November 1964, it was introduced in Canada as one of the first two Toyota models available in the country, the other being the S40 Crown.
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