It Exists: The Woody Toyota Land Cruiser
Posted by Doug DeMuro in It Exists on | 8 comments
Here’s one I’m not sure about myself.
Back in the 1980s, Jeep threw wood paneling on the side of the Grand Wagoneer SUV. This was all well and good, and people bought them in large numbers, primarily so they could keep a car at their second home in Martha’s Vineyard.
During that time, Toyota also offered wood paneling on the Land Cruiser.
I’ve done a few Google searches and I can’t seem to find anything that really explains it. Was it a factory option? Was it actually wood? Was it dealer installed? And whose idea was it? After all, it seems like a blatant copy of the Grand Wagoneer.
But there are many photos floating around with wood-paneled FJ60 Land Cruisers, which suggests to me it was more than just one guy’s bizarre dream. I think this was a real option, and people ordered it, and they sold quite a few this way.
Does anyone have any more information?
8 Responses to “ “It Exists: The Woody Toyota Land Cruiser”
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I love Land Cruisers, but this seems very ugly. What were the Japanese thinking? (BTW: What years was the FJ60 out? I don’t know those weird generation names; I only know model-year ranges.)
I love Land Cruisers, but this seems very ugly. What were the Japanese thinking?
It could have been a (US) dealer-installed option and not anything to do with Toyota themselves.
This could also have been installed at the port of entry by the distributor(s), making it neither factory nor dealer installed.
I can imagine a distributor and a group of dealers concocting a Grand Cherokee-style, high equipment level truck with a higher price and fatter profit margin. The Land Cruiser back in the 80s wasn’t fancy, so it seems like the perfect vehicle to tart up and get even more money from the rich people who already want one.
Are the “woodies” typically equipped with most/all the optional equipment? It would be interesting to find an original new-car window sticker for one of these to see if there is any mention of an option, package or trim level that includes fake wood.
This would’ve been basically the one that went from ’80 to ’90.
Yeah, dealer installed options are kind of silly. Can you believe there’s an XSP Prius? It looks cool, but sporty+Prius= :/.
Never knew this but it’s friggin awesome.
I checked out a site that has old Toyota brochures scanned (http://www.toyotareference.com/landcruiser/1981-1990) and none of them show this. There are a few two tone color options, but that’s as close as it gets. It has to be a dealer installed or aftermarket package.
BTW: the picture of the gray model with rectangular headlights would be 1988, 89 or 90.
I believe there is a cottage industry of hard working cabinet making artisans out there who supply fine wood finishes for modern vehicles. I say this because of the fire truck red Suburban I saw a few years ago with wood all over its sides. This picture comes closest, but the actual paint color here does not create the same “look at me I have more money than sense or tatse” effect of the red one I saw.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G50NIxnjRO8/SL0tDI-b4kI/AAAAAAAABkQ/PhfwOXaKjwc/s1600-h/Suburban+woody.jpg