BJ and 20 Series (BJ, FJ20/25/28)

1951–1960 (Japan); FJ25 in Brazil 1958–1968 · Heavy-duty

The Toyota "Jeep" BJ of 1951 started the line. It was renamed Land Cruiser in June 1954 because "Jeep" was a Willys-Overland trademark.^[1] The 20 Series followed in November 1955 with styling aimed at civilian buyers.^[1]

Key facts

BJ launched	August 1951^[2]
BJ engine	3.4 L Type B petrol I6, 85 PS^[3]
20 Series launched	November 1955^[1]
20 Series engine	3.9 L Type F petrol I6^[3]
Wheelbases (20)	2,285 / 2,430 / 2,650 mm^[3]

Timeline

July 1951: a BJ prototype climbed to the sixth stage of Mount Fuji, and the National Police Agency then ordered 289 vehicles.^[3]
June 1954: renamed Land Cruiser.^[1]
1958: FJ25 production began in Brazil, the first Toyota built outside Japan.^[3]
1959: FJ25/28 cab-chassis models were imported into Australia with locally built bodies.^[3]

Where it was sold

Japan: 1951–1960^[2]
USA: Exported to the US from 1958, per Toyota USA^[5]
Australia: From 1959 (FJ25/28)^[3]
Latin America: Brazil: FJ25, then the Bandeirante from 1962^[3]

Any market not listed is unverified. See the full markets matrix.

WHERE IT WAS SOLD

Markets matrix

SoldLimited / other nameNot sold newUnverified

Model	Japan	USA	Canada	Australia	New Zealand	Middle East / GCC	Europe / UK	South Africa / Africa	Latin America	Other Asia / Russia
BJ and 20 Series 1951–1960 (Japan)	1951–1960^[2]	Exported to the US from 1958, per Toyota USA^[5]	Unverified	From 1959 (FJ25/28)^[3]	Unverified	Unverified	Unverified	Unverified	Brazil: FJ25, then the Bandeirante from 1962^[3]	Unverified

Source note: each cell is cited individually. "Unverified" means we haven't yet found a source confirming or ruling out sales in that market. It is not a claim that the model wasn't sold there. NZ was a major used-import market for JDM Land Cruisers, but new-vehicle NZ sales are mostly unverified here. Market names and years cover new-vehicle sales by Toyota/Lexus distributors.

Buying notes

These survivors are very rare. Value depends on originality; use the Heritage Museum frame-number guide.^[4]

INTERACTIVE TOOL

Model code decoder

Type a Land Cruiser model code from the build plate or a parts catalogue, e.g.

Source note: segment meanings follow the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum Model Decoder v2 (2020). The GD (1GD-FTV) engine code is from the J70 lineage^[6]^[7]^[4]^[3]^[8]^[9]. Suffix letters were not used consistently across every market and era, so treat results as a guide and confirm against your frame number.

Sources

Owner-reported issues are marked as such: they are community experience, not factory data. Specs vary by market and model year. Corrections are welcome.