In the early ‘50s, Toyota produced a version called the Jeep BJ with the intention of selling it to the US military then embroiled in the Korean War. Instead, Toyota ended up selling it to the Japanese National Police Agency thanks to a stunt that involved driving a BJ up Mt. Fuji.
In an effort to differentiate their Jeep, it was later renamed “Land Cruiser,” which soon became its own line of original, Japanese-designed off-road vehicles.
The Land Cruiser would also become the first major overseas sales success for Toyota, despite only selling exactly one of them during their first year of operation in the United States.
Check out Toyota Land cruisers in Aust. Theiss(I think) imported them for the Snowy River Hydro electric project,1953? Believe Aust is still the biggest market in world and most of their product testing is done here. Landrover..nah. Toyota...unbreakable! Ask me, i've had five of them over 40+ years.
ReplyDeleteI've got a 1967 FJ-40. It's one of my snow plows. I fired it up yesterday as we are supposed to get snow on Turkey Day. The engine is a Japanese version of a Chevy-6.. Got a 1987 Samurai that follows my Winnebago, here and there, and home. Great made rides.
ReplyDeleteA Samurai is a great RV tag team partner! But a 67 FJ-40? Wow. You have a very cool 4x4!
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