1963 Toyota FJ40 Landcruiser Wagon (SWB)

Description

An iconic name in the history of off-road vehicles, Toyota's Landcruiser evolved from the BJ series, a vehicle designed to fulfil an order by the US military during the Korean War in 1951. The BJ gave way to the more civilized FJ20 Landcruiser and in 1960, more modern production techniques were employed with the release of the new FJ40 range. Variants included the short-wheelbase FJ40, mid-size FJ43 and long-wheelbase FJ45. Sold with either soft or hardtops, the FJ became the mainstay of Toyota's Landcruiser range through the 1960s and 1970s and really put the model on the map as a serious contender to the likes of Land Rover in the off-road stakes. Sold with unburstable four-cylinder diesel or six-cylinder petrol engines, the Landcruiser proved hugely popular in the United States and many other export markets, including Australia. The first Landcruisers were imported into this country for use in the Snowy Mountains Scheme and with them a legend was born. There is burgeoning interest in early 4WDs today, with Toyota's seminal FJ40 at the forefront of this movement - helped no doubt by the release of the retro-styled FJ Cruiser in recent years. There are now specialists all over the world performing big dollar restorations on early Landcruisers to show standards for the first time and examples are beginning to appear - and fetch serious money - at major auction venues. In short, the FJ40 has become highly collectible.