Famous Trucks: Marty McFly’s 1985 Toyota SR5 Xtra Cab

Updated on May 1, 2024

Every auto enthusiast’s passion begins with an innocent act, whether that be a stroll down a toy aisle littered with 1:64-scale toy cars, passing a 10mm wrench to your bloody-knuckled, grease-covered father, or glancing a bit too hard at the hero car in your favorite film franchise. These childhood interests often blossom into a lifelong passion of trading money for that priceless smile behind the wheel.

In the past few decades, countless cars have graced the silver screen, each with its unique personality and purpose. You have the iconic chase rigs, like Colt Seavers’ 1982 GMC K2500 Sierra Grande in The Fall Guy, the just-out-of-reach dream ride, like Gone in Sixty Seconds’ 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500, or the esteemed hero car, like Back to the Future’s iconic Delorean DMC-12. The latter is arguably the most easily recognizable vehicle in film history; however, the true enthusiasts paid little attention to each time the Delorean cruised (or flew) across the screen. The true subject of our desires was, and likely still is, Marty's black Toyota pickup.

In this edition of our Famous Trucks series, we discuss the 1985 Toyota SR5 Xtra Cab from the Back to the Future franchise. We’re covering everything there is to know about this iconic movie pickup, including its on-screen usage, fun facts, and a build breakdown of the parts and accessories we recommend to build a replica of your own!

So sit back, buckle up, and get ready for this segment of Famous Trucks!

The Film: Back to the Future

1985’s Back to the Future is often cited as one of the most iconic films of the decade, perfectly encapsulating the era's style, personality, and special effects. The film follows the adventures of our protagonist, small-town California teen Marty McFly, navigating the past after an experiment gone awry conducted by quirky scientist Doc Brown and his Delorean DMC-12 time machine.

Throughout the film, Marty navigates several obstacles, including his dissatisfaction with his middle-class family life, his struggle to return to the present time period, and even saving his and Doc Brown’s lives along the way!

The Truck: 1985 Toyota SR5 Xtra Cab

During the film’s setup, Marty sits on a bench with his love interest, Jennifer Parker, as a flatbed truck drives past carrying a decked-out, black 1985 Toyota SR5 Xtra Cab pickup. As Marty gazes at the truck longingly, he turns to Jennifer to let out an emphatic, “Check out that 4x4. That is hot. Someday, Jennifer. Someday.”

After his mid-century adventure, in which timelines slightly shifted, Marty returns home to find the same Toyota pickup in his garage. Following a ride through town, including a run-in with resident bozos, Marty’s dreams have finally come true; at least, until Doc’s surprise return for a cliffhanger ending!

Though seeing very minimal screen time, the truck is a sight to behold. With a 2–3-inch lift kit, 33-inch tires, aftermarket wheels, tubular bumpers, roll bar, and halogen auxiliary lights, the at-the-time brand-new Toyota stole the show from the modified Delorean.

1985–2016: Toyota’s Current-Gen Homage

In 2015, Toyota debuted a striking Tacoma build inspired by the screen-used 1985 pickup from Back to the Future. This build features several custom goodies, including one-off tubular bumpers, a custom dual-hoop roll bar, retro tail lights, amber front markers, and a small lift with TRD wheels and all-terrain tires. While not quite as iconic as the original build, Toyota’s homage to Marty’s pickup tickles both Toyota and Back to the Future fanatics alike.

Build Your Own Back to the Future Inspired Truck!

If you’ve ever wanted to build your own version of Marty McFly’s 80s dream truck, stay tuned! In this section, we detail our comprehensive build guide for the sleek black Toyota pickup, including the base platform, screen-accurate modifications, and our recommended products from RealTruck.

Platform

For starters, you’ll need a platform to construct your movie replica. The pickup in question is a 1985 model Toyota Pickup; however, any fourth generation (1984–1988) in an SR5, 4WD, Xtra-cab configuration will fit the bill! Ideally, a black with gray interior will do the trick, though a paint job and interior swap aren’t dealbreakers. Consider that any forty-year-old pickup likely needs some interior/bodywork, regardless.

With our platform locked down, let’s turn our attention to mods and accessories!

Body

Marty’s pickup features a sleek, understated appearance. Though modified, the truck is essentially devoid of chrome or other flashy accessories, aside from the vibrant yellow covers on its classic KC halogen lights! The body is finished in Toyota Gloss Black (paint code: 202), giving the pickup a stealthy appearance. Tubular bumpers, also in gloss black, adorn the front and rear of the truck.

Wheels and Tires

The screen-used Toyota Pickup sits on dual-finish steel wheels by U.S. Wheel, featuring a gloss black face and chrome barrel. The wheels are wrapped in 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler Radial tires for a meaty appearance, filling the fenders of the compact pickup.

While this setup is stylish, it’s a bit dated regarding tech. We’d recommend replacing the heavy steel wheels with similarly styled cast aluminum replacements, like the American Racing AR62 Outlaw II. These wheels are lightweight and durable and come in black and machined finishes! Consider wrapping this setup in a meaty all-terrain tire, like the Toyo Open Country A/T III Tires or Falken Wildpeak A/T3W Tires.

Lift Kit

Due to the Toyota’s limited screen time, it’s tough to tell whether the pickup is running a lift kit. Our best guess is yes, though only a mild 2–3-inch kit, providing a relatively level stance and clearance for the meaty all-terrain tires.

We’d recommend a product like the Skyjacker 3" Basic Lift Kits, bolstering ride height without significantly affecting ride quality.

Roll Bar

One of the standout features of Marty’s Toyota pickup is the classic tubular roll bar adorning the bed. Oddly enough, the roll bar changes throughout filming, with the truck’s first scene showcasing a single-hoop bar and the final scene featuring a dual-hoop variant! Regardless of this discrepancy, we offer a product to suit both variations.

For this component, we’d recommend a Go Rhino Bed Bar, which features similar tubular styling, an optional gloss black finish, and your choice of single, double, and triple-hoop versions!

Auxiliary Lighting

Just about the only contrast from the pickup’s blacked-out exterior is its multiple KC HiLiTES auxiliary lights, shrouded in vibrant yellow covers. Fortunately, KC still manufactures the same round 6-inch lights found on the Toyota’s roll bar, complete with yellow snap-on covers! KC offers its Daylighter-series lights in period-correct halogen or high-performance LED variants.

The Toyota sports two KC rectangular lights on the front tube bumper, similar to Rugged Ridge 7" Rectangular Off-Road Lights.

With the above-listed accessories on order, you’ll be well on your way to building the screen-inspired replica of Marty McFly’s 1985 Toyota Xtra-Cab SR5 pickup!

As always, we offer all the parts and know-how to piece together this build and countless others at RealTruck. For additional information, check out the rest of our articles on RealSource, and don’t hesitate to contact the experts for any product inquiries or order assistance!