When a Toyota Mega Cruiser comes up for sale, I tune in—not because I can afford to buy one, mind you. They’re just that cool. This specific truck for sale on Bring a Trailer is especially nifty because it’s a factory high-roof model with a windshield as big as an IMAX screen, but even flatter.
Toyota built fewer than 150 of these civilian high-roofs over a six-year production period. Before making its way to New Hampshire, where it currently lives, it served as a safari tour vehicle in Kenya. I’ve been to New Hampshire before, and let me tell you, I can’t think of anywhere more different from a Kenyan reserve.
Anywho, this rig has a four-cylinder turbodiesel with 4.1 liters of displacement. Keeping with the theme of cuatro, it has a four-speed automatic transmission and, of course, four-wheel drive. It only has three locking differentials, but that’s still a lot; as many as you can have, really.
Portal axles and 37-inch tires give this sucker more than 16.5 inches of ground clearance. It can climb up and over whatever you want, even with its relatively measly 153 horsepower and 282 lb-ft of torque.
You can see exactly why this Mega Cruiser was used for wildlife observation once you look inside. It has seating for 10 and enough room to stand. I can just picture myself driving a bunch of people, peeping at a pack of lions through those upper windows, or putting my boot in the built-in rear bumper step to climb on top of the roof and point at some wildebeest. OK, maybe I’m having a bit too much fun with this, but just look at this command center and tell me you wouldn’t have a blast cosplaying as a tour guide from there:
Like any 30-year-old work vehicle, it has some faults. There are stains throughout the interior, and the headliner is in rough shape, but that just gives it character. The odometer shows roughly 104,000 kilometers, or 65,000 miles, along with who knows how many idle hours. No matter, though, as these 15B-FT diesels could probably run a million miles on rainwater from the jungle if they had to.
The auction ends on Monday, though at the time of publication, the high bid is just north of $30,000. I can definitely see that number doubling or even tripling as the last Mega Cruiser to sell on Bring a Trailer in 2024 went for $167,500. Others have been bid up around $100,000 since then, but they failed to meet reserve. There’s no telling how much the seller thinks this admittedly super-rare high roof is worth, so we’ll have to see if anyone offers enough cash to take it home with them.
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From running point on new car launch coverage to editing long-form features and reviews, Caleb does some of everything at The Drive. And he really, really loves trucks.