Classified of the week: Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40

Last week Toyota confirmed that sales of the Land Cruiser had passed the 10 million mark. Ten million! That’s a ridiculous number, even when you consider that the indestructible 4x4 (in all of its various forms) has been in production for the past 68 years.

There’s one generation of the Land Cruiser that remains the most iconic, though – the impossibly cool FJ40. Fancy owning one? Of course you do.

You’re in luck too – this painstakingly-restored example is currently up for sale at Eclectic Auctions. And it is lovely.

The 40 Series was initially launched back in 1960, but this is a far later 1981 version that was built in the Japanese factory (not all Land Cruisers were). It was well specced when it was new, too – the boxes for power steering and air conditioning were both ticked at the showroom. This is great news. We’re assured the air con is ‘ice cold’ and the heater ‘piping hot’.

The F prefix singles this hardtop FJ40 out as having a petrol engine, and this one specifically comes with the 4.2-litre, 135bhp six-cylinder which is connected to Toyota’s four-speed manual gearbox. Note the fantastic “gear shifting instructions” panel on that wonderful dash.

The restoration was apparently a full chassis-off job and there have been a few subtle upgrades along the way. Old Man Emu dampers, a modest lift kit and an aftermarket winch give this FJ40 even more of that all-conquering look, but in reality, it has only been used in dry weather since the work was completed. Surely what it really needs is a good off-road thrashing.

Inside there’s seating for two up front, plus as many as you can fit on those inward-facing benches in the rear. There’s also a sound-system upgrade and custom waterproof carpets.

Reckon you’re cool enough to drive such a thing? It’ll set you back £29,750 if you pull the trigger.

Images: Eclectic Auctions