1987 BJ 74 LX 4 Dr Prototype

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i will give the kid Kudos for an honest (apparently) ad.
i would want to see the receipts for the $35K invested and take a close look at the body work (it was rusting when it came to Mustang Imports back in 06 or 07.

other than that, best of luck in the sale kid. it is a cool truck.
 
seeing this on kijiji has renewed my interest in this rare beast once again.
i carefully read thru the japanese translated transcript that crushers posted on that other thread.

So according to that -

1) prototype was made in response to customer demand for a 70 series 4 door for the japanese toyota dealer - Nagoya Toyota Diesel.

2) The company that did the conversion, Arakawa-shatai-kougyo co.ltd. is apparently owned by toyota and already built factory toyota bodies for toyota, which explains the high level custom work.

3) They started with a 74 body, not a 71 and added the 70 series windshield on of course the 74 frame.

4) The truck was criticized for being very hard to enter and exit the rear. Apparently for legal reasons they were not allowed to move the seat back. Since this was a prototype and not a factory model it was deemed a small price to pay to have a 4 door 70 series in 1987.

5) According to this transcript, this truck was the highest sought after land cruiser of this time.

6) This 4 door conversion option only added $1600 US dollars to the price tag! Is that possible?

7) Toyota knew that these prototypes were being made for Nagoya Toyota Diesel and allowed that to happen. In fact the CEO of toyota himself came to the dealership to inspect the 4 door model. He decided not to put the prototype into full production because of the lack of leg room in the rear but did recognize the need to build a 4 door 70 series.

So, this prototype was OK'd for production by Toyota, it was created by a company owned by Toyota and sold only at a Toyota dealership. That's as close to a factory prototype as you can get IMO. The only important missing ingrediant is that it wasn't designed by toyota, but of couse it inspired the 78 series that followed 3 years later. I would love to have got hold of this one right off the boat when it hit BC ;p
 
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not really, i used to have pics of it at auction ... the rust was extensive in the areas that the mods to the body and doors were located.
now, price wise, fresh from auction and you would have had over $25K to play with when compared to the $35K invested
 
4DoorBJ74.jpg


would be cool to have a 4 door as nimble as a 74. professional body job, H55F and LHD swap and it would be perfect...
 
diesel69er said:
seeing this on kijiji has renewed my interest in this rare beast once again.
i carefully read thru the japanese translated transcript that crushers posted on that other thread.

So according...

7) Toyota knew that these prototypes were being made for Nagoya Toyota Diesel and allowed that to happen. In fact the CEO of toyota himself came to the dealership to inspect the 4 door model. He decided not to put the prototype into full production because of the lack of leg room in the rear but did recognize the need to build a 4 door 70 series.

So, this prototype was OK'd for production by Toyota, it was created by a company owned by Toyota and sold only at a Toyota dealership. That's as close to a factory prototype as you can get IMO. The only important missing ingrediant is that it wasn't designed by toyota, but of couse it inspired the 78 series that followed 3 years later. I would love to have got hold of this one right off the boat when it hit BC ;p
Click to expand...

My thoughts as well. Neat vehicle but not really practical. Should be in some museum.
 
it would be a PITA to get in and out but you can relocate the back seat where you want it ... me, i would use the mounting brackets of the NA BJ70 rear seat, lots of room and can still be folded up against the front seat for max rear area usage.
 
The BJ70-74 Series just don't have adequate interior space regardless of seat configuration to warrant a second set of doors. Unique but not practical and certainly not worth the extra expense.
My .02 worth ...... :)
 
cause North American safety standards stepped in?
i like the side facing seats, so much more practical, better leg room, easier to converse, better storage and just looks so much more ... rugged.
 
U.S. safety, environmental, electrical standardization, and now a day's content sourcing are exclusive to U.S.A.
Other countries have their own rules, generally contrived to accomplish exclusion, and not, as it would seem, to improve an aspect of quality, performance or suitability.
It's why we don't get '70's, Patrols, Pajero Jeeps or a bunch of cool stuff, but we got vega's, chevette's, citation's and the new flame on volt's, so stop complaining, turn around and take it, 'cause washington's got your back
 
My question was more curiosity why japan models stopped with the side seats, almost every 73/74 I've seen didn't have rear seat belts so I don't think safety was their concern. Yet in the Middle East and elsewhere you can still get a 70 series with the side seats.
 
and
considering the BJ73/74 has NO LEG ROOM in the rear front facing seat ... WTF?
 
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