I decided to do a bit of reading...I was curious as to what FJ stood for, turns out quite a bit! Our FJs owe Willys/Jeep quite a lot for their existence, but clearly the Japanese had a bit more knowhow into making quite the venerable, if not superior offroader. Heres the entry: J is indeed for Jeep. The original designation was the BJ. In 1950, the Cold War turned hot. The Peoples republic of North Korea - supported by its communist allies from China and the Soviet Union - invaded the Republic of South Korea. The ensuing battle would be supported by the presence of some 400,000 American Military personnel. To move its armed forces around the rugged Korean Peninsula, the U.S. Army needed vehicles. The Willys jeep may have ruled the day through WWII, but the army didnt think war surplus general purpose vehicles would cut it in this new terrain. Mountains cover more than 70 percent of the Korean Peninsula, which has a cold and wet climate. The Army sought updated vehicles, and it wanted them produced as close as possible to the peninsula. So it went to Toyota with blueprints to the venerable and combat-proven Willys Jeep and worked with the Japanese company on changes needed to meet the challenges in Korea. These changes included the need for a slightly longer wheelbase, a slightly more compliant suspension, and a more powerful engine than the four cylinder motor in the WWII jeep. The engine chosen was the 85 HP Toyota Type B, an inline, 3.4 liter six cylinder fed by a single barrel carburetor. Officially, the vehicle was designated the Toyota Jeep, though it was better known as the BJ because it combined the B engine and a jeeplike body and chassis At first, the BJ was considered inferior to the real jeep, but in July of 1951, Toyota Test driver Ichiro Taira drove a BJ prototype to the sixth of the 10 hikers checkpoints on Japans 12,388 foot Mount Fuji. That was higher than anyone thought likely-or even possible -in a four wheel motor vehicle. Then inspired by a historic horseback riding feat accomplised centuries earlier, Taira drove to Okazaki City and up steep temple stairs. Tairas drive drew attention to the BJ. When Willys objected to Toyota using the Jeep name outside Japan, Toyota opted for LandCruiser-a twist on the name of the British-built Land Rover that had become the post war standard among civilian, if not quite civilized, four wheel drive vehicles. In 1955, the original LandCruiser, the BJ, was in its final model year and a new version, the FJ, was making its debut. This new Landcruiser had a revised body with a face inspired by a traditional Japanese warriors mask. Toyota FJ Cruiser -Larry Edsall
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 23:15:38 +0000
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