FJ Bruiser: Toyota Built an Insane NASCAR-Powered FJ Cruiser Concept for SEMA 2023
Alongside the FJ Bruiser, Toyota restored a ’90s-era concept called the Retro Cruiser to help celebrate the return of the Land Cruiser to North America.
Toyota is wowing the crowd at SEMA 2023 with two incredible Land Cruiser concepts as a nod to the eagerly anticipated return of the Land Cruiser to the American market. One of the concepts is the “FJ Bruiser” that is based on the 1966 Toyota FJ45. But this one is packing a TRD NASCAR engine under the hood. That alone will earn any truck the bruiser moniker.
The second concept vehicle is the “Retro Cruiser” and this SUV is just as impressive even if it makes just a third of the power that the FJ Bruiser does. This concept is based on the 1967 FJ45 Land Cruiser Wagon. And the cool thing about this concept is that it is actually not brand new. It made its debut back in 1999 but it has been refreshed and polished up for SEMA 2023.
FJ Bruiser Power
“Every year we are fortunate enough to get to build a SEMA special project vehicle. With the return of the Land Cruiser to the U.S. Market, it only made sense to build a rock crawler, so this is our take on a 1966 Toyota FJ45 Pickup Truck,” said Marty Schwerter, Toyota Motorsports Garage Team Manager. “At first it was referred to loosely as ‘The Unstoppable FJ,’ but by the time it was done, it was a beastly vehicle, and so the team started referring to it as the ‘FJ Bruiser.’” Under the hood is a TRD, 358 cu.in. V8 NASCAR Cup Car powerplant, which produces 725 horsepower. It is connected to a 3-speed race-built Rancho Drivetrain Engineering transmission. You can hear it in all its glory thanks to a MagnaFlow exhaust.
FJ Bruiser Off-Road
This concept is about more than just incredible power, it is about incredible capability off-road. It remains a solid axle vehicle with “front and rear Currie differentials and an Advanced Adapter Atlas transfer case that provides four 2WD speeds and four 4WD speeds.” And this vehicle never has to worry about ground clearance. The center skid plate was replaced. In its place is “a tank-like track system that can be used to power out of any high centered situation. The CAMSO track is controlled from the cockpit, so the driver can stay securely seated; no need to unstrap and find something to tie off the winch. Tank mode can be activated with the push of a button.” Other features include 42-inch tires, beadlock wheels, and a full roll cage. This thing is truly unstoppable.
Retro Cruiser
The Retro Cruiser is based on a 100 Series Land Cruiser. It was inspired in 1999 by a “what if” conversation between Toyota Motor Sales’ senior managers and racing legend Rod Millen. It was a well-worn $5,000 vehicle to start. The frame was stretch by 10-inches, and the body was modified for a more muscular look. “Then the front track was widened by 4 inches, resulting in a remarkable 30% increase in wheel travel.
The team narrowed the stock differential and retained the original brakes and hubs while crafting custom uprights, upgrades that collectively allowed for an impressive 12 inches of rear-wheel travel. The Retro Cruiser rolls on bespoke, 17-inch billet wheels mounted with rugged, 35-inch, General Tire Grabbers.” Power comes from the standard 100 Series Land Cruiser’s 230 horsepower 4.7L V8. A Borla exhaust provides some extra bark.
Both of these awesome builds can be seen at the Toyota booth at SEMA 2023 from October 31 – November 3.
Images: Toyota & Michael S. Palmer
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