Sanjay Takale's 57-year-old HDJ100 Land Cruiser gave up in Stage 3 of Dakar Classic, even though the 100-series was leading its H3 class. The mechanical failure is a reminder that vintage iron—no matter how storied—is still vintage iron when you're crossing continents at rally pace.
The HDJ100 is finally getting its due as a collector's piece, but Dakar proves raw capability and sentiment are different things.
A California-registered FZJ80 with a modest refresh—Dobinsons lift, refreshed serpentine belt and starter work—just passed through Bring a Trailer. Nothing exotic, nothing rare, but the fact that a 29-year-old Land Cruiser with routine maintenance is auction-worthy tells you everything about where values sit right now. These things stopped depreciating five years ago.
The FZJ80 is the last Toyota truck that feels like it was over-engineered instead of cost-reduced, and the market knows it.
Maltec's '88 70-Series Land Cruiser restomod swaps weight for capability—carbon fiber camper, modern chassis work, the kind of thing that makes sense when you're actually using the truck instead of posing it. FJ builds have been done to death, but this one actually solves problems instead of just looking the part.
The 70-Series is having its moment because it's finally cheap enough for real builders to work with, and expensive enough that someone will actually finish it.
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