We love kitted-out Defenders. We love jacked-up Broncos. We love 4×4 restomods of (almost) any kind, but what we have here is something more original than most of the off-road builds we’ve seen. What we have here is a beautiful Frankensteining of two different Toyota Land Cruisers, powered by an unexpected choice of engine, and sprinkled with subtle enhancements made throughout.
Built by Colorado-based Proffitt’s Ressurection Land Cruisers — a shop specializing in the restoration and modification of Toyota’s stalwart off-roader — the “R2.8 Land Cruiser Pickup” is a marriage between the body of a 79-series Land Cruiser Pickup, and the chassis from an FZJ80 Land Cruiser from 1993 (which had to be lengthened by 20 inches). The “R2.8” moniker comes from the powerplant: a 2.8-liter turbodiesel from Cummins, producing 161 hp and 267 lb-ft of torque. It’s a modest choice, but with a torque delivery very low in the rev range, it’s one that makes sense for a truck like this. Proffitt’s chose it because “[it] is so compact, yet performs so well…in our opinion, it is the best diesel engine option available today,” according to the website.
That engine is hooked up to a five-speed manual transmission, and a part-time 4WD transfer case with electronic-locking differentials. The truck also features three-link suspension at the front and five-link in the rear, Bilstein shocks and rolls on Maxxis mud-terrain tires. Essential overlanding gear like an ARB bumper and Warn winch are also present. The rad side graphics are not so essential but are nonetheless an appreciated touch to an otherwise subtly-crafted machine.
All in all, it’s an incredible off-road build, and the use of the 79-series body is inspired, though there’s probably a good reason for that. Debuting in 1999 and never being sold in the US, the 79-series Land Cruiser is not a legal machine in the US (at least not for a few more years), which is why you don’t see builds like this stateside. It’s possible that Proffitt’s can skirt this by dropping the body on a US-legal frame and registering it as a kit car or a modified 1993 FZJ80. It’s also possible that since this is a build for SEMA it is not intended for on-road use in the first place. We’ve reached out to Proffitt’s for more information regarding this and will update this post with any new information.
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