We already know vintage Toyota Land Cruisers are sought-after machines, and it doesn’t matter much which variety you go after if you want to have a collectible truck in your stash. However, there are some fine lines that help to establish how one model may be significantly more valuable than another, and this 1964 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ45LV here on eBay is a perfect example of this. With only 1,000 of these extended wheelbase models imported into the U.S., it’s a rare bird.
The FJ45LV was a very short-lived model in terms of Toyota’s export lineup, but it’s amazing how much it acted as a preview for consumer behaviors that dominate the truck segment today. While Jeeps and other short wheelbase cruisers were known as being trusty workhorses, they were anything but family-friendly. As the U.S. market evolved to seek out larger, more comfortable trucks that still had sufficient off-road capabilities, building a more comfortable ‘Cruiser became a priority.
The model was somewhat hastily constructed for sale, and owing to a few shortcomings in the design, roughly 5,000 models were built total with the 1,000 or so mentioned above destined for the important U.S. market. As you might expect, far fewer survive today, which is why the truck featured here is such an opportunity for the Toyota truck collector. The seller reports this was a ranch vehicle out in Arizona where it has been sitting for decades, and that the interior was covered in dust, dirt, and rat detritus.
The good news is the body is intact, albeit with plenty of signs of its workhorse life, including evidence of bondo – but it’s by no means a rust-bucket. The glass is good, and that’s excellent news considering some panels are likely impossible to find. The engine turns over easily, and the transmission goes through the gears, but the seller hasn’t done any on-road testing as he advises the old fluids should be drained first. The Land Cruiser features a period-correct Frigidaire “hang down” AC unit off the dash, and this thing is just oozing character. I’d love to see it brought back to road-going condition without touching its exterior cosmetics – what about you?
I wonder what the angled steel plate welded to the bumper is for?
Looks like a cover for a winch?
No flat plate
Its a footplate, to control swivel and well, yourself…when you’re in the swivel chair that goes in that female vertical tube in middle of fender. Its for safari hunting.
I have read that there is an old saying in Africa: “If you want to get to the middle of nowhere, take a Land Rover. If you want to get back, take a Land Cruiser.”
(This pains me greatly to write this, as a former Series IIA Landie owner.)
There’s a Hi-Lux here (Edinburgh) with a sticker on its tailgate:- “Land Rover Recovery Vehicle”.
sold …..$10,600
No flat plate
I have no idea what the flat plate was used for but since it was a ranch vehicle I’m sure it was used fro a work surface, that’s just a guess.
As for as these vehicles they are quite rare but there is a newer version being imported called a Troopy. I have seen about 6-8 a year pop up on BAT.com. The FJ45 Troopy is used in other countries and was never imported to the USA as a new vehicle to my knowledge. Now they are imported as used vehicles along with the newer versions of the FJ45 trucks and various other models.
We had one of these where I worked in the mid ’70s , only a 3 speed gearbox but copped a lot of abuse & wouldn’t die lol