The Land Cruiser Birthday Mystery

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Yesterday’s mention of the Toyota Land Cruiser made us realize that this rugged slogger celebrates its birthday this year. But what do we celebrate? Toyota says it is sixty years old as according to them the development of the Land Cruiser started in 1951. But we think it is older as the Land Cruiser was based on a Bantam Jeep captured by the Japanese army. Late 1941 Toyota was ordered to make a similar vehicle, but it was not to model the Jeep (source: Wikipedia). Toyota constructed a light ½ ton truck, the AK10, which went in production in 1942. Although there are no known photos of the AK10, it is said that the earliest Land Cruiser looked very much like this AK10. Later Land Cruisers were much more civilized. So we say the Land Cruiser is not sixty but seventy years old. What do you think? Tell us more!

(photos courtesy Toyota)

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