1976 Toyota Landcruiser

The vendor Kish bought this funky FJ40 from a friend while out in Australia and drove it for a year. “I absolutely loved it; it’s an amazing and fun, open-topped jeep to drive – especially out there in Oz’s sunny climate.”

He loved it so much that he had it shipped back to the UK at the beginning of 2020, hoping to use it for pleasure during the British summer. “However, Covid happened, and it remained in my heated garage with my other cars. As I was not able to drive it for a while, I’ve now decided to sell in order to make room for another vehicle I recently bought.”

That means Kish’s funky Australian-Japanese toy is now up for grabs and ready to provide someone with the perfect early summer project. So, what would they be getting? Well, it’s a 1976 right-hand drive, 2-door pick-up that’s been upgraded with 16” wheels, a roll-over hoop and ‘roo’ bars. It’s finished in Gunmetal Grey with Monza sports seats, and it retains its Series 2F, six-cylinder petrol engine and manual gearbox.

It's UK registered and comes with its V5c. “Although it doesn’t legally need one, I decided to MOT it and that runs for a year.”

Aussies are renowned for a macho image and this rufty-tufty Landcruiser is a perfect reflection of its former home. You get checker-plate sill coverings (and running boards), a Mad-Max-esque double rollbar, a front ‘roo’ bar and chunk-tastic (that’s a technical term, by the way) Good Year Wrangler MT/R tyres.

On the subject of tyres, there’s enough tread left on each to hide a small marsupial and there’s also a tailgate-mounted spare – although that’s of the Bridgestone Desert Dueler variety. Back to practicalities and there’s also a foot plate and a towbar at the rear, and bonnet catches should the going get rough (and what do the rough get? Apologies, had a Billy Ocean moment, there.)

The windscreen also folds flat a la pre-war race, and sports, cars. Body panels present pretty well, with the odd paintwork scuff here and there (most noticeably on the bonnet, nearside upper corner behind the spare wheel and offside rear three quarter panel), and an edge or two exhibiting a light touch of surface rust where the paint has been grazed. The bottom of the offside A-pillar could do with taking back to metal and re-spraying at some point.

A pair of mudflaps is included, but not currently fitted.

The hairy-chested overload continues unabated inside with Monza sports (with the odd rip here and there) and a cabin that borders on minimal. You get gauges, controls, an electrical cut-off switch and a fascia-removable radio. The fuse box is also mounted to the right of the driver’s knee for easy access.

There’s evidence of a bit of surface rust hiding under the floor’s black stuff, so it could do with a rubdown and re-paint at some point. The speedometer reads in kilometres-per-hour, so you’ll need to recalculate/estimate your goings-at – or switch it a miles-per-hour job.

Not much more to say… room for a Sheela, too.

The underside is a tad mucky but looks nice and solid for a clearly well enjoyed off-roader; there’s a touch of surface corrosion (most notably on some of the suspension components, including the rear leaf springs), so this could be tidied up.

Pop the bonnet and you’ll find a clean engine, and the radiator looks like it’s been refurbed fairly recently. Now the need to know, we’ve had a go at getting her running, but she does cough, spit and rumble a bit before stopping; that said, given that it passed a recent MOT it’s more than likely down to nothing more than sitting idle for too long.

We fully expect a decent fettle will be enough to have it hard charging again. For the moment though, we’ll have to lean on Kish’s summary that it’s a ‘fun open-topped jeep to drive’.

The Landcruiser’s history file is a bit like Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard, in that there ain’t much. That means it’s one that you’ll buy on condition, looks and Kish’s recommendation of just how much fun it is to pilot.

As mentioned, the V5c document is included and that shows that the vehicle was first registered in the UK on 01/08/2020; it also notes the chassis and engine numbers.

The MOT test certificate shows that it was carried out on 22/06/2021 (with the mileage at its current 41,150 miles) and that it runs until 21/06/22. There were two noted advisories: play/worn offside and nearside front and rear all spring shackle and eye bushes worn; and play in the offside front wheel bearing.

You’ll also find an RAC Vehicle History Check.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has been imported correctly and maintained to a very good standard.

What a superlatively funky off-roader. We at The Market love a bit of hardcore green laning and this example would be right at home blasting up mucky hill and down dirty dale. That said, it could provide an equally good beach transport experience or even an alternative set of wheels for one of London’s trendy young things. Or one for the wilder farmer? The possibilities are endless…

There is a bit of fettling to be done before the next owner decides on their choice of the above, but that shouldn’t prove too onerous given that it passed a recent MOT test.

We think it’ll sell for somewhere between £11,000 and £16,000. For that you’ll be getting an interesting alternative to the normal go-to Land Rover, and one with that cheeky Tonka Toy aesthetic.

Once on the road there’s only one song for the radio: cue, Land Down Under, by Men at work…

And then perhaps follow that by The Vapors and Turning Japanese.

Viewing is always encouraged and as stated this car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.