40 Series (FJ40, BJ40, HJ45 and family)

Aug 1960 – 1984 (Japan); Brazil-built Bandeirante to 2001 · Heavy-duty

The 40 Series is the archetypal Land Cruiser. Toyota says it was "cherished for as many as 24 years throughout the world" and made the name known worldwide.^[1]

Key facts

Launched	August 1960 (Japan)^[2]
Body styles	Soft-top, hardtop, pickup, 4-door station wagon (FJ45V)^[3]
Wheelbases	2,285 / 2,430 / 2,650 / 2,950 mm^[3]
Petrol engines	3.9 L F I6; 4.2 L 2F I6 from 1975^[3]
Diesel engines	3.0 L B, 3.2 L 2B, 3.4 L 3B (I4); 3.6 L H and 4.0 L 2H (I6)^[3]
Gearboxes	3-speed; 4-speed from 1974; 5-speed from 1982^[3]
Suspension	Leaf springs, solid axles front and rear^[3]

Timeline

1954: the Toyota Jeep BJ was renamed Land Cruiser because "Jeep" was a Willys-Overland trademark.^[1]
1960: the 40 Series replaced the 20 and added low-range gearing.^[3]
1974: the B 3.0 L diesel arrived; 1975: the 2F 4.2 L replaced the F.^[3]
1979: US FJ40s got a wider square headlight bezel and optional power steering and A/C.^[3]
1983 model year: the last FJ40s sold in the US. Toyota's US model-year sales figures combine the FJ40 and FJ60 (4,805 in total for MY1983), so the FJ40 share isn't published. The often-quoted "about 300" is an unverified estimate.^[4]^[3]
1968–2001: built in Brazil as the Toyota Bandeirante.^[3]

Where it was sold

Japan: 1960–1984^[2]
USA: Last US imports MY1983^[3]
Canada: BJ42 diesel, 1984^[3]
Europe / UK: West Germany from 1978^[3]
Latin America: Brazil: Bandeirante 1968–2001; Venezuela: "Macho"^[3]

Any market not listed is unverified. See the full markets matrix.

WHERE IT WAS SOLD

Markets matrix

SoldLimited / other nameNot sold newUnverified

Model	Japan	USA	Canada	Australia	New Zealand	Middle East / GCC	Europe / UK	South Africa / Africa	Latin America	Other Asia / Russia
40 Series Aug 1960 – 1984 (Japan)	1960–1984^[2]	Last US imports MY1983^[3]	BJ42 diesel, 1984^[3]	Unverified	Unverified	Unverified	West Germany from 1978^[3]	Unverified	Brazil: Bandeirante 1968–2001; Venezuela: "Macho"^[3]	Unverified

Source note: each cell is cited individually. "Unverified" means we haven't yet found a source confirming or ruling out sales in that market. It is not a claim that the model wasn't sold there. NZ was a major used-import market for JDM Land Cruisers, but new-vehicle NZ sales are mostly unverified here. Market names and years cover new-vehicle sales by Toyota/Lexus distributors.

Buying notes

Rust: tub, floors, footwells, rear quarters, frame rails. These are general checks for any steel-bodied vehicle of this age.
Engine swaps (e.g. GM V8s in the US) are common. Check the engine and frame number against the Heritage Museum reference guides.^[5]

INTERACTIVE TOOL

Model code decoder

Type a Land Cruiser model code from the build plate or a parts catalogue, e.g.

Source note: segment meanings follow the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum Model Decoder v2 (2020). The GD (1GD-FTV) engine code is from the J70 lineage^[6]^[7]^[5]^[3]^[8]^[9]. Suffix letters were not used consistently across every market and era, so treat results as a guide and confirm against your frame number.

Sources

Owner-reported issues are marked as such: they are community experience, not factory data. Specs vary by market and model year. Corrections are welcome.