Forty years of Toyota’s midsize off-roader means it’s time for something unique.
The Toyota 4Runner has been taking drivers off road for 40 years. So Toyota is throwing a party with a 4Runner 40th Anniversary special edition for 2023. Toyota will build 4,040 copies of the 40th 4Runner (40Runner?) in three colors with loads of heritage design cues.
A great retro-style, three-stripe sticker livery is the coolest part of this special edition. Well, either that or the Toyota Heritage grille — we haven’t decided.
Before we dive into this special-edition 4Runner, a bit about the vehicle’s history.
Where It All Started
![1984 Toyota 4Runner1984 Toyota 4Runner 1984 Toyota 4Runner](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2022/05/4runner-3.jpg)
4Runner was born as part of Toyota’s legendary Hilux truck lineup. The Hilux pickup saw a significant redesign in 1983, and part of that was the Hilux Surf. Toyota took a Hilux truck and chopped the back off of the cab. The automaker then fitted a removable fiberglass canopy and a new rear seat. It was like the Ford Bronco and Chevrolet K5 Blazer but smaller, lighter, and more efficient.
The Hilux Surf name didn’t quite stick outside of its home market in Japan. Everywhere else, it was called the 4Runner.
![Second Generation Toyota 4Runner Second Generation Toyota 4Runner](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2022/05/4runner-1.jpg)
![third-gen Toyota 4Runnera third-gen Toyota 4Runner](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2022/05/4runner-5.jpg)
All About That Retro Stripe
![2023 Toyota 4Runner 40th 2023 Toyota 4Runner 40th](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2022/05/2023_Toyota_4Runner_40th_Anniversary_Black_002-scaled-1.jpg)
Good Looks Don’t Compromise 4Runner Grit
![2023 Toyota 4Runner 40th-scaled 2023 Toyota 4Runner 40th](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2022/05/2023_Toyota_4Runner_40th_Anniversary_Black_003-scaled-1.jpg)