TOJO TIME CAPSULE

THIS FJ45 MIGHT BE NEARING 36 YEARS OLD, BUT WHEN YOU SLIDE BEHIND THE WHEEL IT FEELS AND SMELLS LIKE AN ALL-NEW LAND CRUISER UTE.

- Matt Wood

IT DOESN’T take much to transport the human imagination. A simple sound or smell, a sensory trigger that can send your mind tumbling back through the years. And classic cars are notorious for their ability to propel the observer back in time.

The smell of 1970s’ vinyl, one of those horrible dusty tartan blankets that everyone seemed to have in their cars, or – for less-fortunate souls – the crawling sensation of your butt growing numb while riding in the back of a leaf-sprung 4x4 ... all potential fuel for a sentimental time warp.

I may be getting a little ahead of myself to suggest an FJ45 Land Cruiser is an evocative time capsule. However, there was a definite flicker in the space-time continuum when I climbed behind the wheel of Doug Quayle’s absolutely immaculate Cruiser ute.

I’m not kidding; there was even a new car smell. I turned the key and the mighty 2F petrol donk fired to life instantly and idled smoothly with barely a shudder. The tough, torquey 2F may be beloved of forklift owners the world over (the 2F also had a long and stellar career as an industrial engine), but finesse isn’t usually one of its finer points.

The gearbox clicked into gear with a precision belying its crude commercial origins. As I rumbled down the dirt road I could have been a cow-cocky time-warped straight out of the late-70s, albeit now equipped with a splash of historical elegance.

This 1984-model FJ45 has been restored to the point where it’s effectively a new vehicle. “I’m actually a little terrified of driving it,” says Doug, with just a little chagrin. “I threw a birdcage in the back of it the other day and then freaked out a bit because I was worried I’d scratched the bed of the tub.”