This Classic Toyota SUV Was Known As The 'Iron Pig' - Here's What Made It So Special

The Toyota that is affectionately known as the "Iron Pig" is the FJ55 Land Cruiser, an SUV that was built from 1967 to 1980. The FJ55 was the product of a split decision at Toyota, in which it was decided that the company would pursue two simultaneous strategies. Its development of go-anywhere, do-anything off-road vehicles would continue, but it would also pursue more consumer-friendly, recreational-type vehicles that could still go off-road, but within a less extreme set of situations. The FJ55, or the Iron Pig Land Cruiser as it would come to be known as, was Toyota's first four-door off-road vehicle and would fulfill the consumer-friendly mission that has served it so well up to the present day. In fact, our review of the most recent version of the Toyota Land Cruiser appreciated its torque-rich hybrid engine and genuine off-road talents.

The FJ55 Iron Pig Land Cruiser is so-called because some can see a pig's face formed by the FJ55's small, inboard headlights, with the vehicle's hood and grille imagined to be the pig's head. Regardless, this nickname has stuck to the FJ55 and is intended to be a serious term of endearment. 

The original FJ55 is motivated by a 3.9-liter inline six-cylinder engine producing 125 horsepower, driving all four wheels through a three-speed or four-speed manual transmission. The six-cylinder engine was upgraded to 4.2 liters and 135 horsepower in 1975. The braking system started out with drum brakes all around, but front disc brakes were added in 1975. Both front and rear axles are solid, suspended by semi-elliptical leaf springs on both ends. 

The FJ55 is one of the coolest SUVs from the 1970s, as well as one of the SUVs every Toyota fan should know about. The FJ55 was the first successful long-wheelbase, four-door Toyota SUV. The FJ55 Iron Pig Land Cruiser was accepted well by its intended market, who were looking for a reliable and rugged off-road vehicle that could haul plenty of people and stuff. Even today, these hardy SUVs are valued by restorers and collectors, as shown by the many FJ55 listings on auction sites. According to Bring A Trailer, prices for complete FJ55 vehicles sold there within the past year range from $10,750 for an original in rough condition up to $106,000 for a completely restomodded version with a Chevy LS3 under the hood. Most of them were sold for $20,000 or less, so the FJ55 can still be an affordable purchase.

It's clear that he FJ55 tradition lives on today, and not just in the car auction ecosystem. The off-road performance of the FJ55 Iron Pig Land Cruiser holds up even when compared to today's modern and fully off-road capable SUVs. In 2020, the staff of Motor Trend drove an FJ55 from the collection of the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah. They discovered that "in the dirt it feels almost modern... the fully boxed frame provides a stout platform for the wagon body. Every one of us who drove the FJ55 remarked at how pleasant and easy it was to drive." That's high praise for the Iron Pig indeed.