As off-road enthusiasts stateside eagerly await the return of the Land Cruiser to the U.S. market, Toyota USA marks this imminent return with a special one-off build that pays homage to Land Cruiser’s roots which it proudly displayed at the recent SEMA 2023. Folks, meet the Toyota FJ Bruiser, an unstoppable rock-crawling beast that can go virtually anywhere and even get out of nasty situations, even when it is high-centered.
At a glance, the FJ Bruiser looks like another restomod. But rest assured, it is way more. It isn’t even a restomod. Toyota merely borrows the body of a 1966 Toyota FJ45 Pickup Truck and while it remains a solid axle vehicle, everything else isn’t quite the same.
But the most interesting part of this build is perhaps the lack of a center skid plate which has been replaced by a tank-like track system called CAMSO track that will allow this rock crawler to get out of any high-centered situation without the driver getting out of the car. This system is controlled from within the cabin, and activated with a push of a button.
Powering this retro-licious custom truck is anything but retro. It was designed with unstoppable in mind and hence, a crazy powerful motor was elected for this purpose, a current TRD 358 cu.in (5.9L) V8 NASCAR Cup Cup motor that produces a cool 725 horses.
The go-anywhere rock crawler further benefits from a MagnaFlow exhaust, a 3-speed automatic race-built Rancho Drivetrain Engineering transmission, front and rear Currie differentials, and an Advanced Adapter Atlas transfer case that provides four 2WD speeds and four 4 WD speeds.
This drivetrain setup affords the FJ Bruiser to crawl at 12 mph revving to 7,000 RPM in the lowest gear and reach speeds of up to 165 mph at the same 7,000 RPM in the highest gear.
Other notables include a full tube chassis and roll cage, a new, more rigid custom frame, a full trailing arm suspension with Fox shocks and Eibach springs, 20-inch Method Beadlock wheels wrapped in 42-inch BF Goodrich Krawler T/A KX tires, and an interior by Complete Customs, featuring matching colored MOMO Daytona EVO seats, and a vintage 1968 Jackie Stewart championship steering wheel.
Unfortunately, like most if not all SEMA show cars, the Toyota FJ Bruiser Custom Rock Crawler is not for sale. you can take it as a reference and/or inspiration for your build but that will be at your risk.
Images: Toyota.
