A larger 2F-type 4.2-liter inline-six is added to the model in 1975, and that engine powers the 40-series Land Cruiser until Toyota stops selling the model stateside after the 1983 model year. New assembly techniques improve the finished product, and the addition of a two-speed transfer case betters the four-wheel-drive SUV’s off-road capabilities. Although the 40-series’ looks are evolutionary, it is a revolutionary product. According to Dan Busey of the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum, the 40-series Land Cruiser is initially sold concurrently with the 20-series. The famed 40-series Land Cruiser is introduced in 1960 the model also goes by the name FJ40 (F for the engine type, J for Jeep), and subsequent generations follow this naming convention. Click through to learn more about the history of Toyota’s iconic SUV in America.ĭespite limited initial demand, the Land Cruiser quickly makes a name for itself, and the model becomes the best-selling Toyota in the United States from 1961 to 1965. consumers would have the opportunity to get their hands on one. It wouldn’t be until 1958, however, that U.S. In response, Toyota renamed the vehicle Land Cruiser and began selling it as such in the middle of 1954. The Toyota Jeep BJ soon found itself in the crosshairs of Willys’ legal team, though, as the American automaker claimed ownership of the “Jeep” name and believed that Toyota was infringing on its trademark. Although the Japanese brand’s military truck would be passed over by the country’s National Police Reserve Forces for the Willys Jeep, the Toyota made enough of an impression that it soon was commissioned for use as a patrol car for Japan’s National Police Agency. The Toyota Jeep BJ, as it was initially known, was motivated by the company’s B-type 3.4-liter inline-six engine and featured styling that was inspired by the off-road-friendly, military-spec Jeeps driven by U.S. could use such a locally sourced truck in conflicts throughout the region.īy the beginning of 1951, Toyota had developed a military-truck prototype. Military trucks were needed, and the U.S., which then still occupied Japan, urged the island nation to develop a domestically produced vehicle for this need. Following North Korea’s invasion of South Korea in June 1950, the United States of America sought to support pro-Western South Korea against its Soviet-backed aggressors. Credit the Korean War for the birth of the Toyota Land Cruiser.
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