Rarely do you get to see and hear a car’s complete history from all its owners.
There are three names that are really synonymous with rugged, off-road capability here in the U.S. We have our homegrown off-roader, the Jeep Wrangler, then we have the legendary Land Rover marque. However, in 1960, the industrious engineers over at Toyota gave the world another four-wheel drive legend – the Toyota Land Cruiser. Globally, the FJ40 Land Cruiser is one of the greatest names out there, as a rugged, simple, dependable car that can always get you wherever you need to go. In 1972, this particular FJ40 Land Cruiser was built and eventually bought in Denver, Colorado. Since then, it’s seen more than four decades of life in the Colorado Rockies. From an adventure vehicle to a workhorse and a restoration project, this car has been through it all.
Most times, when the time comes to sell a car, the actual transaction is the last time you ever see it. Maybe you’ve outgrown the car, maybe it’s become too much of a headache, but it’s time to move on. Occasionally, you may wonder what happened to that old car, but rarely do you get the opportunity to see it ever again. Today, however, was one of those opportunities.
The whole picture
The above video documents the stories of Kent, Paul and Larry, all of whom have owned this 1972 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser. From the time it was new, Larry spent more than two decades with the Land Cruiser, trekking through Colorado’s back country. When he moved out of the country, he sold it to Paul, who used it as a snow plow on his property for nearly a decade. After blowing up the engine, Paul sold the Land Cruiser to Kent, who has been working to bring the FJ40 Land Cruiser back into tip-top shape. As he’s worked on the car, he’s kept in touch with the previous owners. However, this is the first time either of the them have seen the car in years. Watch the video above as we reunite these owners and tell the complete story of this 1972 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser.
Subscribe to The Fast Lane Car and TFLnow for more great videos published throughout the week!
