1970 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ 40 SUV

The Toyota Land Cruiser, and its British rival - the Land Rover, were developed in the early 1950s and based on the Willys M38 Jeep. Both the Toyota and the Land Rover had a devoted following. In the 1960s, both of these companies went head-to-head, and Toyota won nearly every encounter in the roughest parts of the former British Empire. The FJ 40, with its short wheelbase, was generally sturdier and did not require as much maintenance as its British counterpart. They had a low-range transmission and their diesel-engined variants were quite prolific. In total, around 300,000 FJ 40s were sold by 1973.

This 1970 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ 40 is powered by an overhead valve six-cylinder engine displacing 235 cubic inches and offering 125 horsepower. There is a three-speed manual transmission with low range and part-time AWD. At all four corners are hydraulic drums.

This example is a one-owner car and has been treated to a professional restoration with costs that exceeded $100,000. The odometer displays 32,000 miles.

In 2012, this FJ40 was offered for sale at RM Auction's Scottsdale, AZ event. It was estimated to sell for $70,000-$90,000 and offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $77,000 inclusive of buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2012