The Elusive Survivor!

We've all seen beautifully restored classic automobiles. The body comes off, the enginecomes out, the interior is redone and every part of the vehicle is evaluated, refurbished orreplaced before reassembly. These efforts come with descriptions like "no expense spared"and "better than new". The end results can be visually stunning and financially staggering!

Then there's that "other" genre of classic automobiles. They have the mystique and magicof objects that time has somehow forgotten. You won't hear about the extensive restoration,it hasn't occurred. Like an enigma that has somehow turned back the hands of time,lovingly cared for or, in some cases, sparingly reserved for special occasions.

"Survivors"appear to be experiencing a new found appreciationamong auto enthusiasts. Survivors may not be perfect, yetthat is, in many cases, what makes them perfect. They havetranscended the boundary of time and escaped an onslaughtof use and abuse. Where the others have failed, they havesomehow prevailed. Their owners may have taken them outof the game early or perhaps just had the wisdom to maintain, appreciate and protect whatthe manufacturer designed and built so many years ago. This is a rare occurrence,especially when it comes to rugged utilitarian vehicles that were meant for work!

1981 Cygnus White FJ40 Survivor.

Built in April of 1981, she is still wearing her original paint on the tub with dealerapplied pinstripe. When I found this FJ40 in 2013, it had been in storage for 5 years and owned by the same family since 2005. The truck originally came from AZ and it's 99.8% rust free. I say that only because 100% rust free survivors do not really exist. There are plenty of high-res photos if you click on the link below.

Somehow over the years, the hardtop and doors went missing. The truck had soft doors and a bikini top in 2013. Early this year, her owner added OEM hard doors and a factory style soft topgiving her the perfect combination for open aircruising without sacrificing protection against Mother Nature.

The hard doors have been repainted. Factory style soft top and hard doors come installed on the the Land Cruiser plus you get an extra set of half doors and a tailgate panel in either black or diamond plate, your choice!

This truck is just a pleasure to drive and recently made thejourney from Iowa to Idaho without issue so she's very reliable! The original 2F engine has very good power and the truck runs and handles among the best of them! She’s close tostock with a few exceptions like the wheels, signal lightguardsand newer upholstery in front. The jump seats retain their original upholstery, the original front mat, seat surrounds, rear mat, original radio, original toolkit and owners manual are all there. The cargo area floor in back was painted (not lined) in gloss black long ago. She has her original 2F inline 6 cylinder, tall3.70 gears and factory emissions. The fan clutch was replaced this year. If you want a fun summer driver with a high degree or originality, here’s avery nice one!

Click here to see several photos of this 1981 Land Cruiser

Contact me at (515) 864-1275 or e-mail overton@aol.com

This1981 FJ40 is being offered on consignment byLand Cruiser Nation