Toyota has posted the first episode of a YouTube series dedicated to building a unique restomod called FJ Bruiser. The base car is a Land Cruiser FJ45 that gets a NASCAR V8 for engine.
The team claims they got their hands on a wrecked 1966 FJ45 model that has since rusted over and couldn’t start. It was stripped down to the last screw, cleaned and rebuilt. Judging by the video, it looks like only a few original body panels were allowed to remain, while most of them get replaced with new ones.
The stated goal is to produce an off-road machine suitable for rock crawling in time for the new Land Cruiser premiere in the USA (it’s what the LC Prado is called in North America). Before it is complete, the restomod needs a tubular space-frame, all-new suspension and an engine – but the latter is already there. It is a V8 designed by Toyota Racing Development for racing prototypes. Normally tuned for 725 PS (715 hp / 533 kW), it will be modified for the project and may end up with even more power and torque.