South Africa, Oct. 7 -- The South African affair with the Toyota Hilux dates back more than 50 years.

With a heritage and pedigree entrenched in South African history and culture, the Toyota Hilux is not simply a bakkie. It's an indelible part of the South African fabric; an essential tool across hundreds of farms, construction sites and, more recently, even suburban family homes.

To South Africans, the Toyota Hilux is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Known for its reliability, durability and never-die attitude, the Toyota Hilux is the embodiment of legendary toughness - a string of DNA that it shares with the South African spirit.

One doesn't have to dig too deep to find South Africans proclaiming loudly, next to cooking fires...