Photo: Lloyds
Although it resembles the Humvee, this has few things in common with the extreme military vehicles produced by AM General. One of those things is their military origin, with the Mega Cruiser known as the BXD10 in the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
The Humvee influence is obvious, though. The Toyota Mega Cruiser can be mistaken from a distance for the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV). Fewer than 3,000 units were manufactured and were used mainly as personnel and equipment carriers. Like with the Humvee and the Hummer H1, a small batch (around 133 units) dubbed BXD20 was sold to civilians. However, many were bought by the military or Japanese authorities.
Estimates indicate that maybe fewer than 900 examples of the military BXD10 version are still in use today. The BXD20 supply is no doubt even scarcer. This makes the Mega Cruiser one of the rarest vehicles one could buy today and certainly one of the least known vehicles that Toyota built. That’s why seeing one at auction is an event, especially when that example has a story.
This Mega Cruiser selling at a Lloyds auction in Australia is the military version and was reportedly imported into the country for filming the 2021 film Godzilla vs. Kong. After the filming, the Mega Cruiser ended up at the now-closed Tank Ride in Queensland and is now proper museum material. It is fully functional, though, as you’d expect from a reliable Toyota built in 2000.
The Mega Cruiser comes with air conditioning onboard for the passengers's comfort. It flexes a 15B-FTE 4.1-liter diesel engine delivering 151 horsepower to its portal axles through a Japanese-built Aisin four-speed automatic transmission and a two-speed center differential lock. The BXD10 features four-wheel steering, which gives it a small turning circle, despite being more than 200 inches (5.1 meters) long.
Two feet (61 cm) of ground clearance ensure that no obstacle is too big to pass. It’s impossible to register in Australia, though, or at least very complicated to have it street-legal. According to The Drive, the same Toyota Mega Cruiser was offered for sale in the past, with an asking price of 100,000 AUD (67,200 USD).
Estimates indicate that maybe fewer than 900 examples of the military BXD10 version are still in use today. The BXD20 supply is no doubt even scarcer. This makes the Mega Cruiser one of the rarest vehicles one could buy today and certainly one of the least known vehicles that Toyota built. That’s why seeing one at auction is an event, especially when that example has a story.
This Mega Cruiser selling at a Lloyds auction in Australia is the military version and was reportedly imported into the country for filming the 2021 film Godzilla vs. Kong. After the filming, the Mega Cruiser ended up at the now-closed Tank Ride in Queensland and is now proper museum material. It is fully functional, though, as you’d expect from a reliable Toyota built in 2000.
The Mega Cruiser comes with air conditioning onboard for the passengers's comfort. It flexes a 15B-FTE 4.1-liter diesel engine delivering 151 horsepower to its portal axles through a Japanese-built Aisin four-speed automatic transmission and a two-speed center differential lock. The BXD10 features four-wheel steering, which gives it a small turning circle, despite being more than 200 inches (5.1 meters) long.
Two feet (61 cm) of ground clearance ensure that no obstacle is too big to pass. It’s impossible to register in Australia, though, or at least very complicated to have it street-legal. According to The Drive, the same Toyota Mega Cruiser was offered for sale in the past, with an asking price of 100,000 AUD (67,200 USD).
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