Born in 1951 as Toyota’s version of the Jeep, regular production of what was to become the Land Cruiser began in 1953. In 1954 the four-wheel Toyota Jeep BJ was renamed the Land Cruiser. Originally designed as a light military utility vehicle, subsequent redesigns throughout the 1950s saw the vehicle become more appealable to the civilian market, and by 1965 it was the best-selling Toyota in the United States. The J40 series was launched in 1960 with both BJ and FJ models. The popular J40 was a two-door short wheelbase four-wheel drive vehicle, coming with either a soft or a hardtop; it was produced between 1960 and 1984.
