1977 Toyota FJ40

“ A legendary 4x4. It's why Richard Hammond chose one to take on the Bolivian jungle during a memorable Top Gear special back in 2009. ”
Kept in a dry garage, and work done in recent years to improve steering and brakes.

Background
We have the Korean war to thank for introducing the world to the Toyota Land Cruiser. When the conflict began in 1950, Japan was still under the stewardship of the US military. With a new Cold War hotspot on its doorstep, US forces in Japan wanted a rugged and locally-built 4x4. Toyota was given a big pile of cash and asked to come up with the answer. Allied forces committed to the Korean Peninsula would use licence-built Willys Jeeps in the end, but Toyota had made its own encouraging prototype.

As re-armament limitations were relaxed, Toyota’s work wasn’t wasted as it was able to produce 1000 of its new 4x4 for the National Police Reserve and with that, the Land Cruiser legend was born. Initially devised as a rugged go-anywhere utility vehicle, the 40 series Land Cruiser of 1960 really cemented this reputation among the general public. A famous Toyota advertising slogan sums up the appeal; ‘We’ll know how long it lasts when the first one wears out.’

Overview
The Land Cruiser is favoured by those across the world who place reliability above all other considerations and as such, this Toyota has always been popular in harsh environments. Unless your name’s Clarkson, you don’t tend to take a Land Rover into the desert or jungle after all. This particular vehicle has been imported from one such far flung locale; Colombia in Latin America.

We know this car, as it was bought via our platform about 5 years ago. It’s a left-hand drive, three-speed manual, six-cylinder powered totem to dependability and we love it.

We believe from the previous owner that it was restored by a local Colombian Land Cruiser expert “with over three-decades’ experience of these machines” and can report that this Toyota drives as it should, with no mechanical issues we’ve experienced. The paintwork, interior and mechanical components certainly all look to have received restoration work, though sadly, any history documenting the same has been left across the pond.

Our photos, video and write-up are fantastic but there is no replacement for seeing something in person, so please book and appointment and come and inspect it for yourself.

Estimate: £18,000 - £23,000

View current price bid HERE