How The Gear Shop Owner Nathan Hayashi is bringing innovation to the G-Wagen platform

TEXT BY ASHLEY GIORDANO

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD GIORDANO

The vehicle’s short overhangs and large greenhouse space reminded Nathan of his 1981 mini truck.

There’s a scene in the 1985 blockbuster, Back to the Future, where Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) spots a 1985 Toyota SR-5 4x4 pickup strapped to the back of a flatbed truck. It’s tricked out with tube bumpers, a roll cage, KC halogen lights, radial tires and the signature Toyota 4WD mud flaps. Marty’s eyes glaze over. “Check out that 4x4,” he says. “That is hot!”

This 1985 Toyota Pickup was a dream truck for many 1980s kids—including Nathan Hayashi. Nathan purchased his first truck, a beat-up 1981 Toyota pickup, back in his college days to tackle the commute between Lethbridge, Alberta, and Fernie, British Columbia.

“I bought it because of Back to the Future,” he says, laughing. “I thought, ‘A Toyota pickup; that’s a cool thing to get!’ The truck was super cheap … and immediately broke down. I didn’t know what I was looking for when I bought it; it just looked cool.”

Nathan applied what he’s learned from his experience with past Toyota builds to his latest passion project—a 2004 Mercedes AMG G55 G-Wagen.

Right: The Gear Shop lobby wouldn’t be complete without this Ford GT40!

“IN RESPONSE TO SPARSE AFTERMARKET PRODUCT AVAILABILITY FOR THE G-WAGEN PLATFORM, NATHAN AND HIS TEAM AT THE SHOP BEGAN DESIGNING AND CONSTRUCTING CUSTOM FRAMEMOUNTED ROCK SLIDERS AND 70 SERIES LAND CRUISER ARB BUMPER ADAPTER BRACKETS … .”