The 1981 Toyota Land Cruiser (FJ40): History, Specs & Value
Seen in all the world's worst places
That was Toyota's own line for the Land Cruiser in 1981. Not a boast about comfort, but a promise about capability. "From the Australian Outback to beyond the Arctic Circle, from the Hindu Kush to the Grand Tetons," the brochure read, "the indomitable Land Cruiser goes where lesser vehicles have little chance of getting through." Forty-plus years later, the FJ40 is one of the most collected 4x4s on earth. Here is the story of the truck, straight from the year it was sold.
The end of an era
By 1981, the boxy FJ40 was living on borrowed time in the United States. It had been on sale since the early 1960s, barely changed, and it was in its final American years. It was the last of a shape that had already become an icon. That same year Toyota introduced the all-new FJ60 wagon alongside it, a roomier, more civilized Land Cruiser built for families who wanted the toughness without the spartan cabin. 1981 is the crossroads: the original hard-edged FJ40 and the modern wagon, sharing a showroom.
The FJ40 never pretended to be comfortable. It was built to work, and that is exactly why people fell in love with it.
From the original 1981 brochure
The 1981 dealer brochure is a time capsule, and it is where our print starts. A few things it bragged about, in period Toyota copy:
Standard off-road hardware. "The off-road necessities for serious four-wheeling are standard equipment." Steel skid plates protected the transfer case and fuel tank. There was a front tow hook and a steering stabilizer from the factory.
A tool kit in the glovebox. "Because you can be a long way from a Toyota mechanic when you go off-road, there's even a tool kit for emergency fixes."
An optional winch, sold with a wink. "You're never going to get yourself in a spot where you'll need an electric steel cable power winch, but you might want to be able to rescue some fellow off-roader."
They weren't selling a lifestyle. They were selling a truck that would get you home.
1981 Land Cruiser specs
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1981 FJ40 Hardtop
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Engine
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4.2L (4,230cc) inline-six (2F), OHV
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Power
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125 hp @ 3,600 rpm
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Torque
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200 lb-ft @ 1,800 rpm
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Transmission
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4-speed manual + 2-speed transfer case
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Brakes
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Power-assisted front disc, rear drum
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Curb weight
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3,880 lb
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Fuel tank
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22.2 gal
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Wheelbase
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90.0 in
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Tires
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H78×15
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Every 1981 factory color
Part of what makes the FJ40 so collectible is how good it looked in its period colors. For 1981, Toyota offered the Land Cruiser in nine factory shades:
White, Beige, Yellow, Copper Metallic, Red, Olive, Green, Light Blue Metallic, Medium Blue
Those aren't approximations. They are the exact names off the 1981 spec sheet, and they are the colors we offer our print in.
What a 1981 Land Cruiser is worth today
Here is the part that stops people. A new 1981 Land Cruiser started around $9,578. Today, clean FJ40s routinely sell in the $31,000 to $46,000 range, with an average around $40,000 and the best examples going well beyond. A truck that cost less than a family sedan in 1981 is now a genuine appreciating classic. Proof that Toyota built something that lasted.
The Land Cruiser, drawn from the brochure
Our Land Cruiser print is an original illustration drawn from that same 1981 dealer brochure, down to the real factory paint colors. It is the FJ40 the way Toyota sold it: honest, capable, and unmistakable. Pick the shade it actually left the factory in.
Shop the Land Cruiser print.