Flex Automotive Takes Modern Toyota Trucks and Reimagines Them With Vintage Styling

Whether considering Japanese automobiles, audio gear, or camera equipment from decades past, the culture’s design aesthetic is often as endearing as it is unconventional. From an old Toyota Land Cruiser to a vintage Marantz receiver (made in Japan since 1966), the look and feel are inimitable. Functionality plays a starring role, the welcome trait of any authentic, well-designed product.

It’s no secret that historic Japanese cars—especially Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) vehicles not imported to the United States—have gained popularity in recent years. Some are red-hot collectibles, like the Nissan Skyline, a right-hooker that requires serious commitment to drive on U.S. roads. At the other end of the vehicular spectrum are Japan’s trucks and SUVs, with none so popular as the Land Cruisers from Toyota—especially the old ones.

Few would disagree that the amorphous bumpers, evil-eyed headlamps, and gaping, mouth-like grilles of most modern automobiles don’t have the appeal of those from older, friendly faced models from the last century. Flex Automotive, a 55-year-old Tokyo-based company with 80 dealerships throughout Japan, launched its Renoca series in 2017, which comprises newer Toyotas retrofitted with custom front-end bodywork that harkens back to Toyota’s most popular SUVs and trucks from the 1970s and ’80s.

Renoca, derived from “Renovation Car,” includes four models brought stateside, now on display in a new showroom in San Diego, Calif. The facility, which opened this year, will have a full inventory of vehicles available this December, and is also able to convert customer cars or source and renovate examples on request.

The latest in the Renoca lineup is the Windansea, which debuted in September and was created specifically for the U.S. market. Yohei Nakamura, Flex Automotive’s director of U.S. operations, explained that the new model is named after San Diego’s Windansea Beach, a surf spot familiar to the staff at Flex, many of whom are devoted surfers. Using Toyota’s popular third-generation Tacoma truck as a base, the Windansea exchanges the angled front end of the original for a straight-line hood, flat grille with round headlamps, and a conventional steel bumper, rewinding the Tacoma’s countenance back in time by decades.

A set of steel rims and “dog dish” hubcaps also give it a distinctly traditional look, as does the new paint job that presents color schemes reminiscent of a kinder, gentler era. According to Flex designer Takayuki Yamazaki, the Windansea is envisioned as “a Japanese-style, neo-classic massive pickup that combines beauty and strength, conveying a design that melds outdoor experiences with city life.” Conversions start at $22,000 and can be made on Tacoma models from 2016 through 2017; those from 2018 through 2023 have sensor apparatus that complicates grille replacement. Turnkey trucks start at about $52,800.

SUV lovers will gravitate to the Renoca Phoenix and Wonder, both based on the 1990’s-era Land Cruiser 80, and the Renoca 106, based on the Land Cruiser 100 from 1996 through 2006. In the case of all four Renoca packages, suspension, wheel and tire options, and interior and infotainment enhancements can be tailored to customer specifications.

Click here for more photos of Flex Automotive’s Renoca lineup.