Annual forklift competition picks winners based on longevity, not appearance.

As the workhorse of the warehouse, the forklift typically gets all the tough jobs and none of the limelight. That finally changed recently, when a 46-year-old truck made headlines by winning the "Oldest Toyota Forklift Contest."

The contest was organized by Intella Parts LLC, a Holland, Michigan-based supplier of aftermarket forklift parts for Toyota as well as other brands like Yale, Taylor, CAT, and Hyster lift trucks. This year's winner was a 1978-vintage Toyota 42-3FGC20, a gas-powered forklift built in Toyota's factory in Takahama-shi, Aichi, Japan. Alexander Toolsie of Burlington, Ontario, submitted the winning entry and was awarded a $100 gift certificate for Toyota forklift parts at Intella and a $100 Visa gift card.

The competition follows a similar contest held last year, when Intella launched a search for the oldest running Hyster forklift. The winner was a 1945 Hyster model that's still in use at Public Steel in Amarillo, Texas.According to Intella, the contests have been so popular that it plans to expand the competition to additional forklift brands next year.