NZ Burnout Cars

SMALL TRUCK, BIG ATTITUDE

Trevor Briggs’ LS-powered 1989 Daihatsu Hijet proves that the best burnout cars often begin with the most unlikely ideas.

Burnout cars come in all shapes and sizes, but it would be difficult to find one much smaller—or more unexpected—than Trevor Briggs’ 1989 Daihatsu Hijet.

Originally a rusty farm truck powered by a tiny three-cylinder engine, the Hijet has been transformed into an LS-powered burnout machine complete with a custom chassis, four-link rear suspension and a pair of towering stainless-steel exhaust stacks.

For Trevor, who had already owned a couple of Holden burnout cars, the little Daihatsu offered an opportunity to build something completely different.

“I’d had a couple of different Holden burnout cars in the past, but I’d always wanted something with a point of difference,” Trevor explains.

Like many great automotive ideas, the Hijet build started during a conversation between mates over a few beers. Trevor and his friend Faybian were discussing burnout cars when Trevor began scrolling through Facebook Marketplace.

“This beauty caught my eye,” he laughs.

What appeared on the screen was a completely standard—but badly rusted—1989 Daihatsu Hijet farm truck sitting on ATV tyres. It wasn’t fast, tidy or particularly desirable, but it certainly had character.

“The truck mirrors, the aerials, the stickers and the little Cummins banner—something about it just screamed out at me,” Trevor recalls. “I sent the link to Faybian, and he had the same idea: let’s LS it.”

That simple suggestion set the direction for the entire build.

From 40hp to 400hp

The Hijet originally left the factory with a carburetted 660cc three-cylinder engine producing approximately 40hp. That wasn’t going to survive long in Trevor’s ownership.

In its place now sits a 5.7-litre LS1 fitted with a VCM 122 camshaft and supporting modifications. Controlled by a Haltech Rebel ECU, the combination produces approximately 400hp on pump fuel—a tenfold increase over the original engine.

Power is sent through a TH400 transmission and into a shortened EF Falcon differential located by a custom four-link rear suspension setup.

Fitting an LS1 into a vehicle the size of a Hijet sounds like it should have been a nightmare, but Trevor says the major components went together surprisingly well.

“It’s almost as though they were designed to fit an LS,” he jokes.

The real challenge was creating enough clearance around the engine while still leaving space for Trevor inside the tiny cab. The seating position needed to be raised approximately 100mm to clear the LS1’s sump, but there still had to be enough headroom for the driver.

“These things aren’t big, so we had to ditch the original seats and fabricate an entirely new seat panel from scratch,” says Trevor. “I can’t thank Faybs enough for his expertise there.”

More than an engine conversion

Although the Hijet retains much of its original appearance, there is considerably more fabrication beneath the surface than most people realise.

From the rear of the cab backwards, the factory chassis has been replaced by a custom box-section frame. The differential needed to sit higher in the chassis to achieve the correct pinion angle, but the original frame wouldn’t allow it without extensive C-notching.

Rather than compromise, the pair decided to fabricate an entirely new rear section.

“The overall look is pretty similar to what I originally imagined,” says Trevor. “But it’s the stuff you don’t see that really changed. The whole rear section is custom—but it works.”

Trevor and Faybian completed most of the build at Trevor’s workshop, with their different backgrounds proving to be the ideal combination. Faybian builds hot rods professionally and handled much of the structural fabrication, while Trevor brought his electrical and tuning experience to the project.

Their mate Andy, a stainless-steel engineer based next door, also contributed several parts—including what has become Trevor’s favourite feature: the huge four-inch stainless exhaust stacks mounted behind the cab.

“The theme was always based around a miniature truck or kei truck,” Trevor explains. “I think the stacks finish it off perfectly.”

Tim at ABCO supplied many of the parts used throughout the project, including the engine and transmission, while several other friends contributed parts, wheels, tyres, tools and advice.

Trevor is quick to acknowledge Tony from TFW, Luffy, Miah, Faybian and everyone else who helped bring the little truck to life. He also credits his wife, Lauren, for holding everything together while he disappeared into the workshop for months at a time.

A six-month thrash

Trevor purchased the Hijet around July 2025, with serious construction beginning that October. What followed was approximately six months of late nights and sacrificed weekends as the crew pushed to have it ready for its debut at Rapanats over Easter 2026.

The build went right down to the wire.

“We were still dyno tuning it at two o’clock in the morning on the day of Rapanats,” Trevor says.

They made the event—but testing quickly exposed one fairly important weakness.

Brakes. Or, more accurately, the lack of them.

“On its debut, we had next to none,” Trevor laughs. “It took three pumps before the pedal went hard.”

That braking performance—or absence of it—eventually sent the Hijet into the wall, where the tiny truck made an ambitious attempt to climb over the top.

The impact caused some damage, but nothing the team couldn’t repair. More importantly, it confirmed that the largely standard front suspension and factory drum brakes had reached their limit.

Despite being conceived as a burnout car, Trevor wants the Hijet to eventually compete in roll racing, autocross and drag racing as well. Achieving that will require better handling, steering and braking, with an S14-based front-end conversion planned following Autofest.

The upgrade should give Trevor far more confidence behind the wheel and prepare the truck for its next major target: Summernats NZ.

Forever evolving

Like most purpose-built competition cars, the Hijet will probably never be considered completely finished.

E85 is on the list of future upgrades, although Trevor isn’t quite ready to follow Bryn Playford into the world of methanol just yet. The new front end and improved brakes should also open the door for the truck to take part in the other motorsport disciplines Trevor and Faybian discussed during the original build.

What began as a rusted-out farm truck on ATV tyres has become one of the most distinctive machines in the New Zealand burnout scene. It may retain its old mirrors, aerials, stickers and miniature-truck personality, but there is now 400hp of LS power tucked beneath the cab.

For Trevor, the finished product is about more than any individual modification.

“Every part of it has its own uniqueness, and every part presented hurdles we had to overcome,” he says. “I’m proud of what we’ve achieved with it so far—and it’s forever evolving.”