THE BLACK TRUCK

Patriot Campers LC79 SuperTourer

- BRYON DORR

I’m in the middle of the desert in Nevada and heat waves are radiating off the dry lakebed. A black dot appears on the horizon trailed by a cloud of dust. The dot gets bigger, and things come into focus. Hurdling towards me is unobtainium on U.S. soil, a 4.5L V8 turbo diesel, manual transmission, 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser double-cab 79 Series pickup. This one is all black, has all the mods, and is pulling a small off-road camper trailer.

It’s the weekend after the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas, and it’s five years after ‘The Black Truck’ opened the show. For 2022 the Patriot Campers 79 Series SuperTourer was back at the big show, and prominently displayed in the Toyota booth, alongside two other Patriot Camper builds, the FJ49 and MEGA6x6.

Origin Story 

The Black Truck was dreamt up by Justin Montesalvo, director of Patriot Campers in Australia, back in 2016, and has become one of Australia’s most famous 4x4s. Justin’s vision was “a rig that was both aggressively good looking and fully capable on overlanding journeys.”

There is no more quintessential overland vehicle than a 70 Series Land Cruiser, especially in Australia. A 79 Series Land Cruiser pickup was the perfect basis to build The Black Truck upon and launch PCOR (Patriot Campers Off-Road), a 4WD and overland accessory brand that is now well-known for its tray beds and canopies around the globe.

Pretty much everything on the truck has been modified from stock, but the Patriot Campers team got it so right the first time around that very little has been changed over the years. Wheels, tires, suspension, engine tuning, RTT, and the infotainment system have been updated, but overall, the truck has stayed true to its original build.