While I appreciated my family's tough-as-nails FJ-40, what Toyota and Rod Millen Group teamed up to build could easily get me out exploring all over again. Where the old truck was about as bare-bones as possible, with an exposed metal interior and the luxury of rubber flooring, this custom restoration combines off-road supremacy with new-world luxury - and that touch of cool that only a classic can deliver.
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| The Rod Millen custom restoration combines off-road supremacy with new-world luxury. (Photo: Rod Millen Group) |
It all started with Toyota Motor Sales' vice chairman, Yale Gieszl, and Bryan Bergsteinsson, group vice president and general manager for Toyota's Lexus Division, when Toyota was looking for a way to show off its new Land Cruiser technology while displaying an important part of the nameplate's heritage.
According to Bergsteinsson, "Yale had the idea to build a customized Land Cruiser, and we knew that we wanted to work with Rod again." He continued, "We met with Rod and over the course of several development sessions came up with the customized FJ concept."
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| Starting with a barebones 1967 FJ-45 they bought for $5000, Millen and his engineers set to work creating the retro concept. |
After finding the ideal FJ-45 Land Cruiser Wagon for a mere $5000, Millen and his engineers set out to attach it to a 1999 Land Cruiser chassis and drivetrain. But of course, it wasn't just a simple blowtorch and hacksaw job. Factoring in that the older vehicle was narrower and shorter than the new model, either the chassis had to be chopped down to size or the body needed to be widened. One look is all that it takes to figure out what they did. All in all the Retro Cruiser body was widened by 74 mm (3 inches) on each side, and lengthened by 254 mm (10 inches). The front fenders were widened too, while the rear wheel wells were lengthened to make room for larger wheels and tires. While they were at it the rear doors were stretched by about 127 mm (5 inches) to improve access to a much roomier rear seating area.