La Aduana: 1983 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60

As I scrolled through the listings of trucks for sale this morning thinking, “too ugly, too rusted, too modified, and too expensive,” I suddenly found myself thinking, and subsequently muttering under my breath…, “is that a convertible 60?
It took a few minutes of scratching my head and staring at the screen to finally come to terms with what I was looking at. Apparently someone had taken this beautiful 80s Land Cruiser and turned it into something that belonged on Baywatch. It was a tragedy, it was an outrage, it was actually… kind of cool. Naturally, my next thought was to do what any responsible Internet user does when they find something strange, blast it all over the web to share their discovery.

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Okay… so I will admit that it’s a little weird, but despite the initial shock of seeing an FJ60 cut open. this car is actually pretty awesome. It was custom made for a doctor back in 1983, so in a weird way it almost counts as original. More recently, it was restored to its current state and from what I can see they did an excellent job. The tan paint is immaculate and doesn’t appear to have any damage or fading, the accessories are well chosen, and the interior looks like it just came off the show room floor. What’s more impressive though, is that despite the odds, they’ve managed to keep it from turning into the ostentatious monsters you usually see with chop tops. Yes the roof rack is excessive, but overall the build was executed with a fair bit of style. A mild lift is used with BFG mud terrains in an appropriate size, a classic looking ARB bumper adorns the front with round lights instead of LEDs, and an understated swing away bar covers the rear. Even the paint looks factory. The only thing I’d like to see that unfortunately wasn’t pictured, is the full length soft–top.

 

Is anyone else envisioning an FJ60 truck?

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Check it out on San Diego Craigslist here and let us know what you think of it below!

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Chris didn’t receive a real taste of the outdoors until moving to Prescott, Arizona, in 2009. While working on his business degree, he learned to fly and spent his weekends exploring the Arizona desert and high country. It was there that he fell in love with backcountry travel and four-wheel drive vehicles, eventually leading him to Overland Journal and Expedition Portal. After several years of honing his skills in writing, photography, and off-road driving, Chris now works for the company full time as Expedition Portal's Senior Editor while living full-time on the road.