The History and Heritage of the Toyota Land Cruiser

Written by Kenny Hoeschen | December 29, 2013

The Toyota Land Cruiser has a long history as a very capable off-road vehicle, and the classic FJ40s and BJ40s of the 1960s and 1970s are still driven all around the world on dirt roads, through rivers and streams, and up logging roads. Toyota recently announced the end of the FJ Cruiser line, which was its latest homage to the classic white-topped Cruisers of the past.

This video looks back at the history and development of the Land Cruiser, from the first vehicles submitted for consideration by the United States Army in 1950, to the record climb of Mount Fuji by that same Toyota BJ prototype. The Land Cruiser was first brought to the U.S. and Europe for sale in 1958. The iconic 40s series was first launched in 1960 and was made in various forms until 1983. The FJ55 was longer and was nicknamed the “Iron Pig” due to its porcine front end. The change to the 60s series saw the Land Cruiser moving more towards a suburban family vehicle, which came to full fruition with the 80s and 100s series, which seem to only go off road when someone drives one into the ditch while texting.

Check out the New Zealand version of the video below, which contains a few additional details along with an awesome Kiwi accent.

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