Cruisin' for a Bruisin'

With the eagerly-anticipated return of the Land Cruiser to the US market, Toyota has paid homage to the Land Cruiser’s roots by creating the ‘FJ Bruiser’, an unstoppable rock crawling beast unveiled at this year’s SEMA event in Las Vegas.

Toyota Motorsports highlighted their dedication to building a rock crawler, incorporating a modified 725-horsepower V8 NASCAR Cup engine from Toyota Racing Development. Staying true to its roots, the FJ Bruiser retains solid axle architecture, equipped with differentials and transfer case, offering various 2WD and 4WD speeds for exceptional crawling capabilities and high-speed performance.

Despite challenges in fitting modern technology into the classic FJ design, the team successfully constructed a full tubular chassis, integrated a full trailing arm suspension, and mounted 42-inch tyres on 20-inch wheels.

Inside, the revamped interior features seats with a plaid pattern reminiscent of the original FJ's bench seat, complemented by a vintage 1968 Jackie Stewart championship steering wheel.

Photo © Toyota