Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 - when there were real off-road cars for rough terrain instead of SUVs

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 - when there were real off-road cars for rough terrain instead of SUVs

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Created on March 6, 2018

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

RM/Sotheby's

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Toyota / Werk

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- Courtesy RM Auctions

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Ryan Merrill ©2015 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

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Patrick Ernzen - Courtesy RM Sotheby's

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Patrick Ernzen - Courtesy RM Auctions

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Kyle Birt - Courtesy RM Sotheby's

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Patrick Ernzen - Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

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Cymon Taylor - Courtesy RM Sotheby's

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Juan Silva - Courtesy RM Sotheby's

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Robin Adams - Courtesy RM Auctions

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- Courtesy RM Sotheby's

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Patrick Emzen - Courtesy RM Auctions

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Archiv

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - Hardtop version

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - a roughneck for rough jobs

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - there is a spare wheel strapped on at the rear

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - two doors in the rear give access to the space behind the front seats

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - the face kept changing a little without giving up its rustic character

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - closed version with the short wheelbase

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - long gearshift

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - of course no leather steering wheel

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - extensive instrumentation

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - with digital clock

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - lots of unclad metal inside

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - fold-down rear seats

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - the rear seats are installed lengthways, so you just have to hold on tight off-road

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - mounted indicator lights

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - Chassis with engine

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - 4.2-liter engine with flange-mounted transmission

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - the in-line six-cylinder in the front

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - solid leaf springs, rigid axles front and rear

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1983) - before assembly

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - the right car for the golf course?

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - completely restored car with the middle wheelbase

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - rare version with the middle wheelbase and tarpaulin top

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - here too, the spare wheel is flange-mounted at the rear

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - simple bumpers

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - pretty functional

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - all washable

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - simple interior

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - at least with oil pressure gauge and ammeter

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - Glove compartment with operating instructions for transmission and gear reduction

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - hanging pedals

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - the lever for four-wheel drive and gear reduction

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - folded down rear seats

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - the 4.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine is installed longitudinally

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - the engine develops its greatest power at low engine speeds

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - the carburetor easily ran over 20 liters per 100 km in tests at the time

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - rigid axles front and rear

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 (1978) - rigid rear axle with leaf springs

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Toyota Land Cruiser BJ Soft Top (1951) - the beginnings

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Toyota Land Cruiser BJ Soft Top (1951) - closely based on the Jeep, but slightly larger

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Toyota Land Cruiser BJ (1957) - already with modified front section

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Toyota Land Cruiser BJ (1957) - a rather crude vehicle

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1965) - already with curves

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1972) - almost modern

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1975) - as you know it

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1980) - towards the end of the production period

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ45 (1978) - as a pickup with the medium wheelbase

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Toyota Land Cruiser (1975) - Japanese off-roader with a beefy front end - Geneva Motor Show 1975

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Toyota Land Cruiser (1977) - with detail changes for the new model year - Geneva Motor Show 1977

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Toyota Land Cruiser (1978) - with 4.2-liter six-cylinder engine - Geneva Motor Show 1978

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Toyota Land Cruiser (1985) - new lightweight version with shorter body and more comfortable chassis - Geneva Motor Show 1985

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Toyota Land Cruiser (1986) - compact lightweight version with turbo diesel engine - Geneva Motor Show 1986

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Toyota Land Cruiser GX - additional version of the well-known station wagon - at the 1984 Geneva Motor Show

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Toyota Land Cruiser Station Wagon (1973) - wheel-drive off-road station wagon - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Toyota Land Cruiser (1973) - as a station wagon with vertically bisected half doors in the rear - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser (1977) - offered as lot 120 at the RM auction on January 16/17, 2014 in Arizona

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1976) - as lot 105 at the RM Auction Motor City on July 26, 2014

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Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser (1966) - as lot 129 at the RM auction in Arizona on January 15/16, 2015

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Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser (1976) - as lot 251 at the RM auction in Arizona on January 15/16, 2015

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Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (1968) - as lot 301 at the RM/Sotheby's auction in Monterey on August 13 - 15, 2015

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Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser (1978) - offered as lot 102 by RM/Sotheby's in Arizona on January 28/29, 2016

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Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser (1973) - as lot 102 at the RM/Sotheby's London auction on September 7, 2016

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Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser (1970) - offered as lot 107 at the RM/Sotheby's Arizona auction 2017

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Toyota FJ45 Land Cruiser Pickup (1964) - offered as lot 259 at the RM/Sotheby's Arizona auction 2017

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Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser (1970) - as lot 221 at the RM/Sotheby's auction in Hershey 2017

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Toyota FJ43 Land Cruiser (1979) - as lot 216 at the RM/Sotheby's Arizona auction on January 19, 2018

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Summary

40 years ago, all-wheel drive off-road vehicles were the choice of freedom-loving adventurers, foresters and civil engineers. These high-legged vehicles were hardly suitable for driving to the opera, but they were suitable for rough terrain and desert crossings. Their robust nature made them durable and reliable. And desirable as a collector's vehicle today. This report tells the story of the Toyota Land Cruiser and shows two models in many photos.

This article contains the following chapters

For men with rubber boots
Successful model
With a gasoline engine ...
... and with diesel power
FJ40 cult
Further information

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

40 years ago, the world was a different place, at least as far as all-wheel drive and off-road vehicles were concerned. Just 4,500 SUVs were sold in Germany in 1978, compared to 2,347 all-wheel-drive passenger cars in Switzerland in the same year. At that time, Porsche still only built sports cars, whereas today, as is well known, SUVs make up more than half of production. Such "sport utility vehicles" did not even exist in those years, because at that time off-road vehicles were still predominantly coarse utility vehicles, built higher than they were wide and supported by a solid box frame. Rigid axles were typically used for the front and rear suspension, with leaf springs providing (minimal) comfort. Hardly any of these vehicles were able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 15 seconds, and a top speed of 140 km/h was considered above average. But sporty performance was not the decisive factor, off-road capability and robustness were all the more important.

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