Zac Quinn 
The Jeep Wrangler is what many Americans view as an off-road icon. With origins dating back to WWII, today’s Wrangler carries a deep legacy of automotive Americana. However, there’s another SUV out there with a similar history, and a massive following: the Toyota FJ45 Land Cruiser, which is the truck that helped give Toyota its reputation for quality go-anywhere trucks and SUVs. With the Land Cruiser returning to the U.S. market, now was the perfect time to piece together this beast of a rig. Dubbed the Toyota FJ Bruiser Concept for the 2023 SEMA Show, which took place last week, it transforms the classic truck into an Ultra4 Racing-styled build. And if you don’t know, unlike Baja-style vehicles typically designed for high-speed stability, Ultra4-style vehicles are taller and focus on rock-crawling more than desert racing.
Toyota Land Bruiser Concept: Details
The build started by taking a 1966 Toyota FJ45 pickup and giving it a modified version of Toyota’s current TRD, 358 Cu. In. V8 NACAR Cup Car powerplant, which makes a whopping 725 horsepower. The engine is mated with a 3-speed automatic race-built Rancho Drivetrain transmission; as for the exhaust that was provided by MagnaFlow, and gives the truck an intimidating note. Interstingly, Toyota decided to keep the original solid axle for the build. However, the driveline now has Currie differentials and an advanced Adapter Atlas transfer case, which provides four 2WD speeds and four 4WD speeds. The setup allows 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 that same 7,000 rpm in the highest gear.
Ensuring that the Toyota FJ Bruiser has plenty of ground clearance, the team replaced the center skid plate with a tank-like track system that can be used to power out of any high-centered situation. The CAMSO track is controlled from the cockpit so the driver can stay securely seated. Finally, the vehicle features a complete tube chassis and roll cage, which was mated to the body, giving it a more rigid custom frame. A full trailing arm suspension with Fox shocks and Eibach springs has also been added. At the corners, 42-inch BF Goodrich Krawler T/A KX tires are mounted to 20-inch Method Beadlock wheels.
