The Perfect Land Cruiser? This Is A 1983 Toyota FJ45 Land Cruiser Pickup

This Toyota FJ45 Land Cruiser Pickup has been through a comprehensive restoration to factory-fresh condition, just as it would have looked rolling off the boat from Japan in 1983.

The FJ/BJ-series of Toyota Land Cruisers have been skyrocketing in value in recent years side-by-side with their vintage 4×4 counterparts from the United States and Britain, like the Range Rover Classic, Series Land Rovers, Ford Bronco, and International Scout.

The ’83 Toyota FJ45 you see here is the long-wheelbase pickup truck version, the “F” in the model name means this is a gasoline powered version whereas a “B” would mean it was diesel. The “J” designation is the model series and the “45” just means it’s the long wheelbase version, there were also short (J40/41/42) and medium (J43/44/46) wheelbase versions sold with the J40 being the most common.

Interestingly the American Jeep from WW2 formed the foundation of the Toyota Land Cruiser, the Japanese found a Jeep in the Philippines, which they were occupying during the war, and they sent it back to Japan to be studied.

This Jeep was reverse engineered and a new Japanese version was made using local parts and engineering. It would be this Japanese 4×4 that would form the foundation of the Land Cruisers that would follow, with live axles, leaf springs, a body-on-chassis design, a transfer case, an angular steel body and flat glass used throughout. This basic formula would prove so successful it was used by almost all 4x4s for decades after WWII.

Toyota built the Land Cruiser in a series of iterations starting with the first official BJ prototype in 1951. In 1953 series production of the “Toyota Jeep BJ” began and a year later in 1954 the name “Land Cruiser” was used for the first time, chosen due to its similarity to the British Land Rover which had arrived a few years earlier.

In 1955 Toyota introduced the second generation version of the Land Cruiser called the “20 Series”, these vehicles were built with non-military civilian use in mind. In 1960 the J40 series were introduced, these are the vehicles that most people think of when discussing vintage Land Cruisers thanks to their resilience and distinctive styling.

The 1983 Toyota FJ45 Land Cruiser Pickup you see here has recently been through a thorough restoration including an array of parts from Toyota in Japan to ensure as much originality as possible. It’s been finished in period-correct dark green with an all-new brown leather interior. The vehicle is also fitted with new period-correct tires on traditional steel rims with gleaming chrome hub cabs.

In the engine bay you’ll find the 130 cu. in. six-cylinder petrol engine mated to a four-speed manual transmission. This model has power steering and it can be operated in either 2×4 or 4×4 to reduce wear and tear when it’s being used on the road, it also has high and low range, an essential feature for any serious off-roading.

If you’d like to read more about this Land Cruiser or register to bid, it’s due to roll across the auction block with Mecum in late October and you can click here to see the listing.

Images via Mecum