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Priest-Owned 1971 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 Fetches $115,500 at Auction

Here at autoevolution, we try to cover as many chunks of the Internet as possible, and Toyotas have a special place on our website. So how about we tell you how a 1971 Land Cruiser sold for over $100,000 at auction?
1971 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 5 photos
Photo: FJ Company
1971 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ431971 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ431971 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ431971 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43
First of all you need to know the Toyota FJ40 Series were made from 1960 until 1984 and Brazilian customers knew them under the Toyota Bandeirante moniker.

They became indispensable in remote areas of the world, hauled safaris through Africa and developed a devoted following among America's off-road culture. Toyota even paid homage to these fierce breeds with the 2004 vintage-styled FJ Cruiser.

We brought up Brazil and implicitly South America because this particular model we're talking about belonged to a priest who lived in a small town in the Colombian Plains.

According to FJ Company - who also restored the car to its brilliant current state - locals nicknamed this car “The Amphibian”, because the priest used it to cross rivers during the rainy season and moreover, important guests used to be carried around in the same vehicle.

Also, the car was used to offer assistance to buses, pickups and even small trucks stuck in the mud. Simply put, the car had a rough career, but it was built for this hassle, and it coped with it like a real hero.

This loyal behaviour earned it a full restoration process which meant the long-serving Toyota FJ43 Land Cruiser was fitted with an original 3,9-liters inline-six F engine good for 125 horsepower at 3,600 rpm.

Resources are managed via a three-speed manual transmission while off-road capabilities are enhanced by the front and rear leaf spring suspension and four-wheel drum brakes.

The cabin kept its original brown color while the off-roader regained its original soft-top roof courtesy of FJ Company. As we were telling you above, the car fetched an impressive $115,500 at the Quail Lodge Auction, which we think is another proof that supports this Land Cruiser's iconic status.
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