Toyota Land Cruiser. The iconic Toyota

For more than 65 years, Toyota has been building the iconic Toyota Land Cruiser on a very strong ladder chassis. The name was coined by Toyota's then technical director Hanji Umuhara. "In England there was the Land Rover. I wanted a name for our car that would be no less catchy than that of our biggest intended competitor. That is how I came up with the name 'Land Cruiser'. ”

In the beginning there was ... the Jeep

When the Imperial Japanese Army occupied the Philippines in 1941, an old Bantam Mk II Jeep was taken prisoner of war there and shipped to Japan. The Japanese authorities ordered Toyota to recreate this catch to its own taste. The result was the model AK prototype. After the war, Toyota was allowed to build real Jeeps under license. In 1951 the Toyota “Jeep” BJ prototype was developed in response to the demand for utility vehicles with an army green background, such as the British Land Rover Series 1. The Toyota BJ was bigger and more powerful than the original Jeep thanks to its 3,4, 84 liter six-cylinder overhead valve petrol engine that delivered XNUMX HP.

The Toyota Land Cruiser J40 generation

The most iconic Toyota Land Cruiser series (J40) is the Land Cruisers series that is made from 1960 to 1984. They were classic 4WD off-road workhorses with a loose chassis and a basal body mounted on it. Most of the Toyota Land Cruisers 40 series were built as 2 door models, so they were, as said, slightly larger than the comparable Jeep CJ.

Evil spirits call this Toyota "The best car that Landrover has never built". On YouTube you will also find many Toyota Land Cruiser vs Land Rover videos. The Toyota Land Cruiser J40 series was delivered with a hard-top or as a 'real open Jeep' and as a pick-up. And its history goes back to 1951 when Toyota first wheeled the J20 series on the first generation of Land Cruisers. They were available with various wheel bases. The Toyota Land Cruisers were equipped with four or six-cylinder petrol or diesel engines. The Land Cruisers often had tough lives, but they were incredibly tough. The parts for this 40 series are still available.

Meanwhile recognized classics

And that is a good thing, because these tough Toyotas are now recognized classics. And battered, weathered specimens are meanwhile lovingly restored to their new condition. But some specimens have had a very peaceful life. We found one such beautiful survivor in Hoevelaken, say in Amersfoort. He was pleasantly cool there in the neighborhood of a couple of very beautiful Corvettes.

The Toyota Land Cruiser that is at Big Boys Toys has no agricultural or otherwise fierce work history, no rust, no dents, bumps or scratches. The petrol engine car comes from Switzerland, the unlikely part of Europe where more perfectly cherished classics come from. The 'open' Toyota has recently been restored 100%.

Driving such an early Toyota Land Cruiser is driving in a vehicle for serious work traffic. As a driver you feel more than a little driver. On the public road you make an impressive impression at a slow pace. The Toyota cannot be stopped in the terrain.

From work horse to luxury horse

His later versions, like other 4WDs from this segment, have become luxury vehicles with 4WD as a tough extra. But a specimen such as this innocent white J40 was once meant to be a very permanent and all-terrain workhorse.

But such a beautiful early Toyota Land Cruiser now has a price tag so the new owner will probably handle it with some caution.