Last of the 40's - 1983 Toyota FJ40

We can't believe that we haven't featured an FJ40 on Moto Roster yet, so let's fix that with one of the rarest around. Opinions differ about the exact number, but in 1983 there were only a handful of FJ40's sold in the US. This one with factory power steering and AC makes it one of the rarest around, and a quality soda blast and respray may push it into ridiculous money.

This FJ40 is claimed to be Arizona born and raised, and we'd take the seller's offer of seeing pre-paint pictures to see just how rust free things were. Having owned an 80's 40 series that was 20% rust, the shots of the rear cargo area and ambulance doors are shockingly clean. We just assumed that these came from the factory with some rust on the sill and wheel wells.

Though taking the photos at dusk seems like an odd choice when showing off a new paint job, we don't think that the seller has to worry much about photo quality detracting from the ultimate sale price. Paint notwithstanding, what really jumps out to us is the amount of unpainted stainless fasteners we see everywhere. These are either painted over, or rusty and rounded off on nearly every 40 series we've ever seen. A small thing, but it points to the care that was taken.

The rear fender flares are unfortunate, and the driver's seat is in need of repair but if those are the only issues, it's pretty incredible. A long list of recent service sounds includes everything we would want to feel comfortable putting this rig into service even with nearly 200k miles on it.

If you wanted to daily drive an FJ40, this last year in the US model would be the one to have. A very slight lift, and appropriately sized BFGs will make things manageable around town even without the power steering. Add AC to the equation and this things is damn near practical.

Find this FJ on eBay in Tempe, Arizona.