Inside the world’s greatest Land Cruiser museum

And it’s in Salt Lake City not Japan…

You might expect the world’s foremost collection of Toyota Land Cruisers to be in Japan – after all, it is one of the best selling models ever to come from the country.

Instead, the world’s biggest, most comprehensive facility dedicated solely to Asia’s best-known off-roader is hidden in a warehouse located a stone’s throw from downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.

Called the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum, it showcases more than 70 variants ranging from the BJ developed for the Japanese armed forces to a late-model, limited-edition 70-series.

Join us for a fascinating virtual tour around this outstanding collection.

The back story

Greg Miller’s obsession with the Toyota Land Cruiser began before he opened the museum in 2012.

He first cast light on his collection by housing it in a building near the Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, a small town west of Salt Lake City, but he moved it closer to downtown in 2015 to reach a wider audience.

The museum hasn’t stopped growing since and Miller isn’t done yet: he’s actively looking for more than a dozen models, including a super-rare AK10 and a hearse, to add to it. 

BJT (1953)

Toyota developed the BJ in a bid to secure a lucrative contract to provide the Japanese armed forces with a Jeep-like vehicle.

Officials instead chose a Jeep made under license by Mitsubishi over the proposal submitted by Toyota, leaving the firm with a fully designed off-roader and no fleet buyer to sell it to.

BJT (continued)

Aware of the Land Rover’s growing popularity in Europe, Toyota decided to make a civilian variant of the BJ named Touring (BJT) and market it to farmers, off-roaders and anyone looking for a tough, do-it-all 4x4.

Historians disagree about production figures, but the museum states that under 300 units were made – some joined the Japanese police. This example spent most of its life in Australia before traveling to Utah.

FJ25 (1958)

Toyota celebrates the BJ as the Land Cruiser’s direct predecessor. The nameplate appeared in 1954, but it didn’t lock horns with the Jeep CJ on its home turf until 1958, the year after the carmaker created its American division.

The 1958 FJ25 shown here is the first Land Cruiser sold in America and the only one registered there that year.

Toyota also delivered 287 units of the Toyopet Crown in the United States during its first full calendar year in the country, bringing its total sales to 288 cars (if our sums are correct).

FJ28L (1960)

The Land Cruiser triumphed over the planet’s most inhospitable terrains during the 1950s and its off-road prowess earned it respect in dozens of countries.

Toyota and its partners often built market-specific variants of the truck, such as this FJ28L pickup with a one-piece body instead of a separate cargo compartment mounted behind the cab. It was manufactured in tiny numbers in Venezuela.

FJ43 (1963)

This FJ43 is another enigmatic market-specific variant. Manufactured for Japan, it has a hard top above the front seats and a soft top behind it.

The museum notes the battery tray is in the cargo compartment, which is unusual; it’s looking for more information about the configuration.

TB25L Bandeirante (1963)

In the 1950s and ’60s Toyota’s Brazilian division sold its own variant of the Land Cruiser, named Bandeirante.

The model was made locally and sold across South America. This example is powered by a 74bhp four-cylinder diesel engine manufactured by Mercedes-Benz and called OM 324 internally.

Oddly, the engine powered many Toyota off-roaders, but it never ended up in the firm’s own trucks.

FJ45LV (1965)

This unrestored FJ45LV was sold new in Canada. It’s almost identical to the model Toyota offered in the United States, but it featured an additional air vent below the windscreen.

The short-wheelbase Land Cruiser easily outsold the long-wheelbase models during the 1960s. It’s not a coincidence that Jeep only offered the CJ (and, later, the Wrangler) with two doors until the 2007 model year.

FJ40 (1973)

Scott Mackenzie, the former sheriff of California’s Butte County, purchased this 1973 FJ40 new. It was destroyed in 2018 by the worst wildfire in the state’s history.

Mackenzie chose to donate it to the museum instead of scrapping it as a reminder that nature can take even our most prized possessions.

FJ55 (1978)

Tag-A-Long Tours in Moab, Utah, purchased this FJ55 new in 1978 and used it to show tourists the state’s breathtaking scenery.

Few other off-roaders could comfortably carry passengers while effortlessly navigating the difficult terrain around the Colorado River. It retired in the 1990s.

Delta Mini Cruiser (1982)

Philippines-based Delta Motors Corporation developed the Mini Cruiser for the nation’s army.

It looked a lot like a pint-sized FJ40 replica, but Toyota didn’t mind because the two companies worked closely in many areas; Delta notably manufactured some Toyota models for the local market.

Delta offered several variants of the Mini Cruiser in a handful of nations including Colombia, Italy and Germany. 

Delta Mini Cruiser (continued)

While details about this specific truck remain vague, the museum believes it was sold new on the European market, because it’s fitted with an Isuzu-sourced diesel engine.

Wherever it started life, it was registered in Budapest, Hungary, until it arrived in Utah and has a non-original wooden top over its cargo compartment.

LD10 Blizzard (1982)

If the LD10 Blizzard looks familiar, it’s likely because it’s a Daihatsu Taft that Toyota rebadged to offer buyers in Japan an alternative to the Suzuki Jimny.

It’s considerably smaller than any Land Cruiser made during that era and it’s powered by a normally-aspirated 2.2-litre diesel engine. 

BJ70 (1986)

The museum notes that a Japanese television broadcasting company used this 1986 BJ70 to check transmission functions in remote areas.

The box on the roof contains a large directional antenna and it’s also equipped with a factory-installed power-take-off (PTO) winch on the front bumper.

FJ60 (1987)

Introduced in 1980, the FJ60 deserves credit for elevating the Land Cruiser nameplate to family hauler status in the United States.

It was far more daily-drivable than its predecessor, so it became popular among motorists who lived in the snowy parts of the nation.

This 1987 example first registered in Canada has covered under 16,000 miles since new and it’s still sitting on its original set of tyres.

Mega Cruiser (1996)

Toyota developed the Humvee-like BXD10 for the Japanese Army.

This mammoth off-roader is fitted with four-wheel steering, a two-speed transfer case and a 4.1-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder engine that channels 135bhp to the four wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission and portal axles.

The resemblance between the BXD10 and the Humvee is superficial; the two models share no parts.

Mega Cruiser (continued)

Popular demand convinced Toyota executives to make a small number of BXD10s for civilians.

This version of the truck was called BXD20 internally and launched as the Mega Cruiser. It received an updated design and more creature comforts inside, but the powertrain remained largely unchanged.

Some 149 examples were sold through select Toyota stores exclusively in Japan; its 10-million-yen price tag made it as expensive as a Honda NSX. The firm built about 3000 additional units for the Japanese military.

Mega Cruiser-based rock crawler (1978)

Nicknamed ‘Kitty’, this rock crawler is an FJ40 in name and looks only.

The custom-made aluminium body provided by Canada-based Aqualu Industries hides a frame, chassis components and a 4.1-litre turbodiesel engine sourced from a Mega Cruiser.

It’s registered as a 1978 FJ40, though its underpinnings are about two decades newer.

VZJ90W (1996)

Toyota developed the Prado as a smaller, more city-friendly alternative to the full-size Land Cruiser.

Nimble wasn’t a byword for inferior, though, and the Prado remained extremely capable off-road; it spawned the Lexus GX in the United States.

This 1996 example from Japan wears a long list of accessories, including numerous decals and a brush guard that protects its front end.

HJZ79 (2012)

This well-worn HZJ79 defiantly argues against critics who point out the Land Cruiser has become the king of suburbia.

Manufactured in 2012, it was modified by Canada’s Miller Technologies to carry a troop of miners through a mine, which is one of the most demanding tasks that could be asked of it.

Mechanics locked the transfer case in low range, so the driver can’t shift above second gear, and replaced the brake pedal with a manual hydraulic pump installed next to the passenger-side front seat.

GRJ76 (2015)

In many countries, including the United States and England, the 70-series Land Cruiser is a distant memory more often seen on farms and at enthusiast meets than at a car dealership. In other nations – Australia, for one – it’s still available new.

This 2015 example is a limited-edition version built to celebrate the model’s 30th birthday. It’s powered by a petrol-burning, 4.1-litre V6 rated at 232bhp and fitted with a five-speed manual transmission.