Because my job is arguably the best in the world, I get to spend a decent amount of time looking for cool cars to write about. That takes me down many, many rabbit holes, which I enjoy. Sometimes, though, the cool stuff comes to you in ways you don’t expect—and this is a story about that.
I was trawling through Instagram when I spotted a weird 70 Series Toyota Land Cruiser offered for sale by Car Cave USA in Aiken, South Carolina. I’d never seen one of these, so I sent it to the boys in the Slack chat. Stephen, our weekend editor, did a little digging and learned that instead of a normal soft top, the European-market 1999 HZJ73 sported a folding windshield, removable side glass, and a roll hoop, with a removable hardtop. The result is this cool open-air cruiser.
Now, stumbling across one of these on Instagram is nothing crazy. But within a matter of hours, this oddball popped up again—two more times. Listen to this.
I was digging through Toyota’s (insanely cool) timeline site, blindly clicking on links in hopes of finding some old Japanese language ads. Problem is, I don’t speak Japanese all that well, so I was a little lost. I clicked on one that said ランドクルーザー, or “Randokurūzā,” and boom! There was the 70 Series with the fold-down windshield again!
“How nuts,” I thought. I’m not sure what the odds of that happening were, but I was geeked to say the least.
Then, my buddy Andrew chimed into the ongoing Slack conversation with news I couldn’t believe: He just saw one in person. In upstate New York. In the boonies.
I told him we had to write about this, so he went back to the shop to snag a picture Friday morning. Tragically, it was gone. Do I think Andrew was lying? No, I don’t. He’s as trusty as a golden retriever (and as smiley as one, too).
Anyway, I’m now quietly on the prowl for one of these. They come with a 1HZ 4.2-liter diesel inline-six, which produces 129 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque—no turbo here. Pair that with a five-speed manual and limited-slip rear differential sporting 4.11 gears, and you have one heck of a crawler.
Maybe another will find me soon. If it does, I’ll have a hard time saying no.
Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com
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.
