The Toyota Land Cruiser 40 isn’t just an icon, it’s a legend. It’s the model that truly brought the revered Land Cruiser name to prominence. The 40 Series was produced for an astonishing 41 years with the last one produced in Brazil in 2001.
It’s still a dream classic 4x4 for off-road enthusiasts, and its shape is pretty much instantly recognizable. The thing is, the youngest model you can get is 23 years old and most of the ones floating around are at least 40.
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Restoring one is difficult as it is, while modifying it almost feels like sacrilege. The solution? Why not build your own? That’s an option the Juncheng Vehicle Industry Co. would like to propose to resto-modders.
This company can sell you one of two things. You can order hard-to-find panels as they have the ability to reproduce these. The other is buying an entire shell from them, giving you the freedom to let your imagination go wild without the guilt of gutting an all-original example.
Juncheng offers three bodies for sale, namely the three door, extended wheelbase wagon, and single-cab pickup in left or right-hand drive guises. Mind you, it won’t be cheap buying these shells. Prices start at around $19,500 or P1,140,000 at current conversion rates for the three-door with primer. If you want it painted, it bumps up to $21,500 (approx. P1,260,000), and for the long-wheelbase version that’s primed and painted, it’s about $22,800 (approx. P1,340,000).
Mind you, the shells already come with panels. That means there’s no need to worry about the hood, fenders, and doors. Of course, there’s also one without those parts to save a little bit more money. That said, you’ll have to fabricate a chassis or frame for it as it’s just the body that Juncheng sells.
Still, it’s an amusing find. And if you’re not a fan of the Toyota Land Cruiser 40 Series (which is a rarity), there are also bodies for the Land Rover Defender, the first-generation Ford Bronco, and even the original Nissan Z from the ‘70s.
Well, that’s one way to say you built a car and not bought it. Sort of.
