The very first SUV built by Toyota became very popular.  Production of the first generation of the Land Cruiser began in 1951.  At the time, the U.S. military went to Toyota due to the need of a capable vehicle for efforts in the Korean War.  The Toyota Land Cruiser drew inspiration from the famous original Willys Jeep.  Like the Land Rover that preceded it, the original Toyota Land Cruiser was inspired by Jeep’s CJ. The first prototype ran Toyota’s B-type 6 cylinder engine. The aesthetic drew inspiration from the military Jeeps driven by U.S. military personal stationed in Japan. Unsurprisingly, the Willy’s legal team came after the Toyota Jeep BJ. Ownership of the name Jeep belonged to the American manufacturer. So, in order to avoid stepping on the toes of such a trademark, Toyota renamed the new military truck. The first Toyota Land Cruiser sold with new badging in the mid-1950s. The FJ40 is a well-loved model even today, and restored builds are sought after and pricey.

By 1953 production of the Toyota BJ was in full swing with three model variants on offer: the BJ-T touring model; the BJ-R radio vehicle; and the BJ-J cowl chassis which could be equipped with a special custom body such as for making a fire-engine for example.

The first retail two-door Model BJ models were conceived as purely utilitarian 4WD vehicles for police and forest workers. In 1958, Toyota introduced a hardtop version and started selling the Land Cruiser in North America.  The 20 Series Land Cruiser entered the market as the new “civilian version” of the military truck.  Toyota also improved on the suspension and shortened the wheelbase. This is also the first Toyota Land Cruiser that ever made it stateside. In 1960, the iconic 40 Series (the model today’s FJ Cruiser was inspired by) went on sale. It promptly became Toyota’s best-selling model between 1961 and 1965 in the U.S.

The Land Cruiser has been produced in convertible, hardtop, station wagon and cab chassis body styles.