The Aspen Project - 1982 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 Matte White

Our Souped Up Alpine-Inspired Ride
So, why did we build this thing? Well, our boss told us to. Yep. This one was commissioned by our President, Juan Diego Calle, who wanted a purpose-built family-friendly beast, that could take on the rigors of everyday highway driving as well as the back-country near Aspen, Colorado. Did we deliver? We’ll let you (and Juan) be the judge.
A Return to Glory
Like all of our builds, this one began with a full frame-off restoration - we wouldn’t have it any other way. During the process, which you can read more about here, we made a few “basic” updates to the power steering, front disc brakes, heating and A/C. But that’s where the “basic” part of this story ends - and the fun begins!
A Powertrain Power Play
For us, the party really began when we replaced the original engine components with a much more capable, modern powertrain. Look under the hood of this FJ43, and you’ll find a 210-horsepower Toyota 1FZ engine (a 4.5L DOHC 24-valve inline 6) with Haltech Electronic Fuel Injection and a 5-speed manual transmission. Put that all together and you get the kind of power that inspires confidence - on the highway and the trail.
Equipped for the Trail
The FJ43 is already a design legend. Those bold fenders! That classic grille! ...all signs of an icon. So we kept its classic good looks intact and made a few tasteful updates. We added a fresh coat of matte white paint to the exterior which is offset by matte silver accents and Toyota OEM wheels in gunmetal gray. You’ll also find plenty of trail-ready parts and accessories - like a Warn 8274 winch mounted to the original front bumper along with a pair of PIAA 7" LED fog lights. And a custom roll cage was installed to ensure every joyride ends the way it begins - safely.
Inner Toughness
The cabin of this FJ43 has been fortified with super-tough materials. The Recaro SPEED seats are trimmed in marine-grade upholstery, to match the door panels and fold-down rear seats. We also added a coat of Rhino Linings® bedliner to prevent scuff marks and rusting. Now, this all-weather, all-terrain 4x4 is ready for just about anything.
Modern Refinement
Here, at The FJ Company, we take pride in building modern versions of the classic Land Cruiser. And this build is no exception. Here, we added just enough bells and whistles to satisfy the demands of today’s driver - a digital instrument cluster that provides information at-a-glance, modern LED interior lighting, and a premium sound system with integrated Bluetooth®, just to name a few.
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