Toyota Put A Tundra V6 Engine In An '80s Land Cruiser & It's Nothing Short Of Awesome

Vintage 4x4s being upgraded with modern running gear has been a steadily popular trend in recent years, and the first model that comes to mind is likely an early generation of Ford's iconic Bronco. Not to be outdone, though, when it comes to restomod popularity, is the beloved Toyota Land Cruiser. Though it's traditionally been the earlier FJ40 models that have been the most popular base for high-end, restomod builds (often with GM V8 swaps) Toyota recently brought a 1985 60-series Land Cruiser to the SEMA Show, outfitted with the twin-turbocharged engine from the current Tundra.

Known as the Turbo Trail Cruiser, Toyota built this project to demonstrate the possibility of combining one of its most popular heritage models with the latest in turbocharged engine technology. More than just stuffing a modern engine into an old SUV, this modernized FJ60 has been thoroughly, yet tastefully, upgraded to balance the modern horsepower with the character and ambiance of a restored FJ60. More broadly, for diehard vintage Toyota fans, it also hints at the possibility of Toyota someday jumping into the factory-backed crate engine market.

It's not hard to see why Toyota embarked on this project SEMA. Vintage Land Cruisers remain as popular and as valuable as ever, and the Turbo Trail Cruiser demonstrates what a highly desirable 60-series model would be like when injected with the twin-turbocharged performance of a modern Toyota truck. Under the hood, the installation of the Tundra's 389-horsepower 3.4-liter i-Force V6 looks as factory as can be — and that's exactly what Toyota was aiming for. Great care was taken to keep the original structure of the FJ60 intact, with no firewall cutting or other heavy chassis fabrication needed to pull off the engine swap.

A custom oil pan was used to get the i-Force engine to fit within the factory chassis, and rather than using Tundra's 10-speed automatic transmission, Toyota's engineers instead fabbed up an adapter plate to mate the modern V6 to the FJ60's original five-speed manual transmission — no transmission tunnel cutting needed. From the outside, there's very little to hint that this FJ60 has a twin-turbo engine swap under the hood. There's a mild inch-and-a-half suspension lift, factory spec paint and graphics, and a set of period style aftermarket wheels mounted with 35-inch tires to round out the look that's much more 'factory-grade restomod' than it is 'wild aftermarket project'.

Both inside and out, great care was taken to keep the old Land Cruiser looking and feeling as original as possible. The interior, for example, looks almost 100% original with the addition of a modern JBL sound system being one of the only departures from 1985.

Beyond just a demonstration of Toyota's heritage, what the Turbo Trail Cruiser also does, is hint at (or maybe even tease) the possibility of Toyota expanding into the ready-to-run crate motor market, which would make projects like this one more realistic for everyday enthusiasts. American brands, Chevy, Ford and Dodge (Stellantis) have long offered complete turn-key crate motor packages for enthusiasts who want to bring modern power and reliability to their vintage vehicle projects, with SEMA being a hot spot for the latest releases.

Though you can purchase individual components designed as replacement parts through dealers, Toyota has never offered enthusiast-oriented crate motor packages in the same way the American brands do. The Toyota has not officially said anything, with projects like Turbo Trail Cruiser and the brand's overall high-profile presence in enthusiast car segments and motorsport, here's hoping TRD or GR-branded crate engines become a thing in the coming years. Whether you own an old AE86 Corolla, an old Toyota pickup, or a vintage Land Cruiser like this one, the possibilities for combining factory-backed power with classic models would be endless.