PATINA LIKE YOU MEAN IT.

A November '80 RN46 Toyota HiLux exhibiting the painfully familiar classic Japanese vehicle combination of legendary mechanical reliability buttoned to sheetmetal that rusts with truly breathtaking enthusiasm. Usable till the doors literally fall off. Thirty nine years old and cosmetically in line for the bin decades ago; not much locally gets to exist to the point it's this far gone...

A bloody shame too, as it would've been a cool thing if even remotely salvageable.

When factory spec/options and originality can be the difference between life and death for a classic car, this chipper 541-solid-yellow single-cab 4x4 'Lux I stumbled upon at the wreckers a fortnight ago sure had plenty going for it...

 ...but the rust...

..by God, the rust; no, even the most naive underestimator on the hunt for their first ever project car would know better.

But that near time-warp originality makes for a fascinating photo-set if nothing else. I absolutely loved seeing those 16" split steel rims and appropriately dainty 205R16LT tyres - sitting right where Toyota had put them almost forty years earlier - along with a look at the crusty WARN manual Locking Hubs before they're surely re-purposed by somebody...

All original paint and striping around this side too. To see bodywork this far gone that's so unmolested is a treat. How had nobody attempted to patch this at any point? Where had it been for nobody to have to?! How long had this been off the road?!

Victoria's lack of annual inspections mean you could continue to pay your registration every year and fly blissfully under the radar, but living in a climate relatively gentle on bodywork (understandably, given the inspection-less system works at all in this state) there's absolutely no way this could go un-noticed on the road. This isn't Canada!

There's seemingly not a single spot of paint left on this chassis.

The leaf-sprung solid-axles, front and rear. A proper little four-wheel-drive.

Towbar of course, because Australian commercial vehicle. 140Nm (103 lb ft) 18R be damned!

78,582km (48,829mi) on the clock? Frighteningly, I'm thinking this may actually be the first time 'round. Ouch.

"You put those bloody multigrips down!" Absolutely loved this. Had to fight the urge to take the character-laden glovebox panel with me...

It's beautiful aging and patina that just has to be left alone. Photos taken to record and I'm on my way...

Rust in peace HiLux. Your job's done.