BEST in the World: $275,000 Toyota FJ & G40-S Land Cruisers From Colombia | Capturing Car Culture

Larry Chen travels to Bogotá, Colombia, to visit the world famous Toyota Land Cruiser shop, The FJ Company. They use a modern GRJ 70 series Land Cruisers and merge it with a vintage FJ Land Cruiser to make a supercharged modern Land Cruiser with the vintage look we all know and love. Follow along as Larry Chen walks you through the process of how a 2023 FJ Land Cruiser is made.
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[@aye3678]

Companies that do this sort of thing make me happy. Especially when they really care about what they're restoring/making. Brilliant!

[@RmrzX]

Never expected to see Larry coming to Colombia, let alone shoot a whole video about the FJ, also called the "Machito" by our people, hope you enjoyed your time here, Larry!!!

[@LarryChenPhoto]

It's no secret that I'm a big Toyota fan, I just needed to see for myself where these things are given a new life.

[@iamnotclarkson]

Machito? That’s in Venezuela, not in Colombia

[@RmrzX]

@@iamnotclarkson guess what? We say it here, too Venezuelans gotta stop thinking they are the first doing/saying everything

[@IvanTutto]

​@@iamnotclarksonMachito, "care sapo" , "NarcoToyota", etc. The 70 series and 80 series

[@tramavan]

Larry great video about the FJ culture in my country. But some pointers tho; these FJ are so unattainable in Colombia itself in the condition the FJCompany sells it. And to be honest they are snatching up all of the FJ’s from the regular people to modify and export that where does that leave the avg person? Nowhere. It’s a business and they thrive but so is Johnatan Ward snatching all the good examples and sending them to California to be resold for a whole lot of cash. Many of those green FJ’s were delivered to the state-run companies, here in Medellin; to the electric company and they were the best to buy as you mentioned because of their maintenance . Glad you liked Colombia

[@Herazo_227]

I'm Colombian, and it is sad that the Toyota culture here is shadowed by many misconceptions. I really appreciate that you came all over here to show us (I didn't even know this shop existed here). Thank you Larry Chen.

[@xwarped83]

What are the misconceptions?

[@jhon-cg4rg]

​@@xwarped83things like Toyota owners are drug Lords or corrupt politician's

[@xwarped83]

@@jhon-cg4rg ah OK. I guess my family and I would be considered really corrupt then.

[@alelectric2767]

@@jhon-cg4rgHello from Canada. Never crossed my mind that drug dealers or whatever drove or had these. Really. My possible misconception is that Columbia is a dangerous place to visit.

[@brob9995]

At the price point of this model, I would understand some people think this....@@jhon-cg4rg

[@2URLex]

Gorgeous machines and facility. Japan is known for their dedicated hard work and craftsmanship and to see the same application to deliver another Toyota product in a totally different country is mind blowing. There’s probably no other video like this on KZbin.

[@luisandresguevararamirez2905]

From Japan, then Singapore, and now Colombia. Cars can take one anywhere. Amazed to see such a presten factory. Never imagined something like that existed in Colombia.

[@kybruce1]

In 1975 I worked at a Goodyear store in Ft. Collins, Colorado. A good customer had a FJ40, dark green with white top and gray wheels with chrome hubcaps. He bought wider Wrangler tires. It looked so cool and off-road capable. So much more than the full size Broncos and Blazers of the day. Loved the video

[@jonpatterson7211]

I stopped in at an off road garage in Ft. Collins back in the early 80's. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the place, but I needed a clutch job on a Series 2 Land Rover. The owner said he could do the job but it might take months to get all the parts. I'd picked up the Land Rover for next to nothing but didn't want to wait that long to have it fixed. I sold it and later found an FJ40 in Cheyenne where I was stationed. It had 600 miles on the clock and still had the new car smell. Got it for $7500. Brand new that year (1980), they sold for $9,080 at Fassett-Nichol Ford/Toyota in Cheyenne. I keep bringing up prices not to boast, but to give you an idea of how crazy things can get with collector type vehicles. I sold mine prior to shipping overseas. If only I had known. Fort Collins was a gorgeous place. I hope it still is and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

[@kybruce1]

@@jonpatterson7211 Thanks for your service. We had friends who were stationed at Warren AFB and visited them on base several times. We moved to KY 29 years ago. Still visit CO and Ft. Collins often. It has changed so much and now closing on 200k population. House prices crazy and traffic so bad. Still a beautiful area, but I would not live there

[@ThePokemondongos]

Yeah, here in Colombia Toyotas are very popular among "high risk businessmen" and "shady politicians", the only kind of people that would buy a Toyota at a Ferraris price. Still, impressive work.

[@savvylildancer]

Currently living in Colombia, from the US. I am sooo jealous that here in colombia there are SO many landcruisers!!!! I'm drooling everywhere i go. Especially popular here is the landcruiser prado, which i also adore. As well as those similar to the LC, such as the Defender.

[@pigstain7531]

My dad bought his first FJ40 back in the '80s for less than $100, then his second FJ40 for about $500 back in the 90s. We grew up on FJ and the first car i drive n learn to drive lol 😂

[@harrywalker968]

didnt learn the first time.. there noisy, boxy, small, gutless, hard riding rubbish.. toyota, floged this idea till the 80 series.. but its still lacking, modern mechanicals. only has 110kw.. this,,is why there reliable, too gutless blow anything up..

[@milt6208]

I have a FJ Cruiser and i love it.

[@unclemudfrogsgarage6590]

South American version of ICON. Have owned 2 FJ40's. Love them too death.

[@Jaybushy98]

Colombia is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, hands down. Thanks for visiting Larry

[@lorimcquinn3966]

Purchased a new 1978 FJ in October of 1977, While a incredible vehicle, they were not without their faults and misconceptions. All my friends had Jeep CJ's and yes, I pulled quite a few out of the mud with mine. The best time was spent during the Winter Storm of 1978, pulling everything imaginable out of drifts. BTW, my FJ cost me $8100 OTD.

[@Supercruze]

Crazy to look at these FJ Company FJs and what they cost and think I owned two 79 FJ40s back in the 1980s. Miss them dearly. Lots of memories.

[@aldoartigiani8110]

I've been to Colombia and notice a real culture for off road restoration. Lot of gathering to celebrate the vehicles and enjoy them! Back to the vehicle, does the restored vehicle get a green certification (like Euro4)? Otherwise difficult to be used in country like Italy. Go Colombia!!

[@dec13666]

It all depends on your budget. By USD 275000, you may ask one or two things, lol 😊

[@rapshark4127]

Nice video, and I see that you enjoyed my beloved Colombia 🇨🇴

[@jaimem3527]

Alongside the Renault 4, the FJ Land Cruiser is one of the most iconic and recognized vehicles in Colombia. Cool that this shop exists in the country, it gives me faith for the progress of the Colombian car culture.

[@bcatz454]

yup, you get it. The R4 is truly a piece of Colombian history as it put automotive manufacturing into Colombia and put cars into the hands of middle class Colombians.

[@Followyourlight420]

My dream is to have a 1976 FJ40. These are amazing vehicles.

[@jorgeivanvelezaguilar1531]

As a Colombian I am super impressed with this super high level of craftsmanship in our country. Great video, keep up the great work 🙌🏽🇨🇴

[@mariofalfan2997]

As an owner of a really stocked 67 FJ40 you guys blew me away! Thank you for sharing..

[@dec13666]

In Colombia, Japanese Toyotas and Russian UAZ are well respected off-road vehicles. Simple and reliable vehicles.

[@nanoag]

Impressive!!!! Great to see you guys in Colombia!!!

[@andrewhuntzinger2293]

I have a 1970 fj40, and I love that thing.

[@Entrelanieve]

I can tell you that my father purchased a 1971 FJ40 short body soft top. We had it with the family for more than 20 years. We made trips around Colombia every vacation on that car. I customized it a little bit when attending university and worked with it delivering frozen fish, for years. I still miss it!

[@CarCultureColombia]

If you guys ever come back to colombia, specially medellin and wanna get to know the underground car Culture just hit us up!

[@bobk3432]

Ah, now I understand why FJ Co’s trucks are so expensive. I didn’t know about the brand new 70 Series underneath or the full body prep required. Nice!

[@raysaliquor]

That is sick!!!! Impressive work by that company!

[@oscarpallaresmedia21]

Larry! You came to st. Charles to film the video in the mall, that's where I live, now you go to my hometown Bogotá to make a video about fj40 and I just got my fj40 from colombia to Chicago 😂 we gotta meet man!

[@Scottydoing]

I have never wanted to move to a random place on the planet to work for a shop so much. That place looks like heaven!

[@georgeloizou9900]

Its the first time i enjoyed the comments as much as the video. Cheers to car culture and car people.

[@nobs8124]

I prefer the original because that’s all about it , it’s original, no computers no BS

[@dusty7264]

We have three FJ-40 and some 55s on our ranch in Arizona, I paid just over 6000 bucks for the most expensive one. That’s a crazy price for a utilitarian vehicle. But here we see Land Rover Defender, Bob tail Broncos and the finest golf courses and restaurants in the valley. I imagine it won’t be long until we see one of these there.

[@matthewjensen2659]

Larry's Hagerty series is the best content on youtube

[@chad_01]

Every Hagerty segment is pure eye candy. Beautiful shots 👌

[@stuffhappens5681]

You could tell the interior was quieter over bumps and the ride a lot more refined in the reimagined version. The original, while capable, would tire you out quickly.

[@Tigerstripe40]

Fabulous work! THIS RIGHT HERE is what the Toyota FJ Cruiser should have been! I wish I could afford one of these.

[@Brian-os9qj]

Great to see your abilities and interests on display. You are one of the best

[@jademayer4995]

I would take that all original FJ in a heartbeat, I've wanted one since I could drive, 32 yrs now, someday I hope, their just so expensive now, and most are completely rusted out, at least any of them that I might be able to afford. Truly love what their doing here, keeping that iconic rig present, and making them actually enjoyable to drive! Although, even an old beat up one is fun to drive, for nostalgic reasons, but I'm sure these are a blast to drive! Unless I ever hit the lottery though, I probably won't ever know!

[@rufinoacosta9289]

Thanks for the video...amazed my the FjCompany Fabric/Garage/Store place!...we will have Fj40 forever !

[@phil_p]

If you like a restomod FJ40, check out the one that retropower in the Uk are building. It’s next-level.

[@kotajames6211]

Larry Chen/Hagarty posts up a video... I click on it!🤷🏽

[@nmelkhunter1]

Very neat video! It brought back memories of when I lived in Panama with my dad and he had a BJ-40. We went a lot of neat places in that vehicle but my favorite was the western province of Chiriqui. Chiriqui looks very similar to the area you visited in Columbia and is just as pretty. If I had enough pennies I would really to own a restored version of the green FJ. Again, neat video!

[@PedroSantos_83]

Such a beauty! ❤ Great video, loved it!

[@WarriorsPhoto]

I like these so much I am going to check out this company. Thank you for sharing this information.

[@lildirtnap1198]

thank you larry, for everything you do. quite inspiring

[@halidaymichael2899]

Best and most expensive FJ40’s in the world. Jonathan Ward says hold my beer....

[@Pacholfo]

If you thought this is great, you should see the jeep/willys cj's still running and transporting people and running on roads that make this ones look civilized Still great to see you in Colombia, hope you come back

[@Hashimooo]

Amazing stuff! Although I have to say, there's barely anything modern with an LC70 besides the model year lol (still want one, spine destroyer or not) edit: Larry addressed it near the end of the video

[@AbrahamArthemius]

The 70 series is the epitome of "If it doesn't break, don't change it". Even when it does have changes it was using parts that Toyota knows will stand the test of time. For example, the latest edition of the 70 series kept the 4.5L Turbo V8 Diesel while also having a 2.4 Turbo Inline-4 Diesel option that came from the Fortuner/Hilux (which actually has more Torque than the V8)

[@touchofgrey5372]

Fabulous! I think I'll buy one; just as soon as I win the lottery!

[@texan900]

Larry/Hagerty I love all of your videos and content but please tell these guys that restore these land cruisers that "shock boots" are a must when going through dirt, mud, and water. I used to manage the largest 4x4 shop in Vermont and I'm an auto tech of 30 years. I can't stand seeing a 275k resto without shock boots on those expensive shocks! A little rubber boot on that shock piston can literally make a shock last 2-5 times a long! Ok enough of that, but it's sooo important. That new 40 series is amazing to say the least!

[@TheoPhilpot]

This is BRILLIANT

[@randymartosoewito7892]

Larry gave hagerty a boost in audience

[@GaboFOR]

En Colombia también se restaura Nissan Patrol, Daihatsu, Suzuki LJ y SJ y otros icónicos

[@AlucardVRC]

Perfect. All said. I'd keep it for life. 👌👌

[@paul_t_kendall]

So awesome. Thanks for sharing. One day...

[@Adnan.siddiq]

What a fantastic story I love your videos, and i own one of 1kz-40 series vehicles in the world. It's an incredible off-road vehicle

[@andoletube]

Hey Larry, nice video, "AT the end of the day"... 😉

[@cudak888]

Near as I can understand, this is basically a Colombian version of what Jonathan Ward does with ICON - save for reusing the original frame instead of building one around a newly-fabricated frame, correct?

[@mikeypv6]

At the 11minute mark and you are describing what it's like to drive reminds me of Richard Hammond on Top Gear thinking he was going to die whilst describing everything that was wrong and had all the same squeaks and rattles 😮😅

[@blakerh]

Larry's videos never disappoint!

[@elionecalunga5546]

Hi. Still watching.

[@dbsax2]

Awesome video. So interesting. Guessing everyone wants the last model in the video! Cheers! 👍🏻👍🏻

[@nicktoney8118]

G40s with the nardi steering wheel 🔥

[@tomlipscomb2211]

I can hear the RetroPower guys saying ‘hold my beer’ 😂

[@LarryChenPhoto]

Do you guys think the FJ Company 40s series Land Cruiser shown in the video is worth $275,000 ?

I do. The amount of work is impresive. Is was nice to see you coming to Colombia. I hope next time you can make it to Medellín.

[@thewaldfe9763]

I see there's a market for it, even though they are massively overcharging (even if they built it on a brand new LC300 it would still be on the pricy side). I absolutely see that it's more than three cows though.

[@RossHall-UK]

Looking at the craftsmanship going into the build, I'd say that's a fair price. It's an alternative to a Range Rover for those who want something more distinctive. Would I buy one? No.

[@alexstern3583]

This might sound overly critical but I’m shocked to see they use castor correction bushings for the suspension. Such a strange corner to cut considering how much amazing work they do on the rest of the build

[@mohmoudfarah1897]

Very entertaining; thank you! I think the price is worth it because of all the energy/time/things they put into it. IOW, I❤ it!

[@mohmoudfarah1897]

Oh, the only thing I would add to the Blue S-type one is a white color on the rooftop.

[@kevinrbarker]

I bought a '78 FJ43 three years ago in Bogota. Dead stock. Everything works, doors, windows. Would like new weather stripping.

[@CaptCanuck4444]

Love this.

[@HDMI4YAMAHA]

Great video!

[@Carito680]

I was so excited to watch this!! Sucks my country is only recognized for cocaine in the comments, even in a positive video like this one

[@kaiglembocki]

Don’t take it personal I live in Florida everyone thinks Miami is all we have to offer

[@Gunnutt]

It amazed me how much Bogata looks like rural New Zealand, down to the ferns. Wouldn't have been surprised to see Barry Crump get out of one of the FJ's. 😂

[@MrAyrit]

My uncle has an unrestored 76 FJ. We took it out on some muddy b roads and did a low water crossing in 2 wheel drive. We got stuck, sunk in sand to the hubs. We got out, locked it in to 4WD, and drove right out. It is kind of scary to drive though…

[@ebubeawachie]

Lovely video.

[@robertallison9653]

@11:50 tune your rig for elevation, it's easy, just twist a screwdriver!

[@arefeshghi]

7:44 I believe the 2023 70 series doesn't have hill descent control or traction control! It's a very basic car except the engine.

[@tadficuscactus]

My grandfather was a farmer and had one.

[@laloolhouvum1634]

I would love to have a custom built FJ40 LC as well as the 70 series. 200 hundred thousand dollars plus for each car sounds like a good price in my opinion. Got to visit Bagotá, Columbia. But it has to be a right hand drive. It has to be importable as well.

[@KuroRyuu86]

I wonder if they do right hand conversion. Would be great to have a new fj in Australia

[@toy4runr85]

Every owner of an original 40 series (like me, I have a 1967 FJ40), sees all those used parts and starts salivating. Doors, fenders, etc... Help some 'cruiser brothers out and sell some parts!

[@roland9367]

Ha, I laugh at 10,000 feet in a 40 series. I took a BJ45 (diesel long version of the FJ40) over 18,000 feet in the Himalaya! And yes it was struggeling a lot. Not too much throttle, you would just drown it with fuel. Lots of smoke. But it worked. Awesome company, very high quality making the 40 series last even longer!

[@Toyota4Life]

Proud to be a Toyota | Lexus guy

[@rus.t]

This is the closest thing we could get to a Willy Wonka factory for Land Cruiser enthusiast and I badly want a golden ticket

[@dec13666]

You'll have to eat 275000 chocolate bars before putting your hands in one of these 😂✌️

[@Follett2121]

Great content!

[@alandf3s]

my favorite video

[@dmcbmw2011]

Amazing place, you should see what they do with Porsche 👍

[@Gbloxs-z0q]

The dedicated for the Iconic legendaris cars

[@Gerbyq]

Finally some real cars.

[@beachboardfan9544]

Now this is how restomods should b done!

[@kiroswright3955]

Soon as Larry started driving I was thinking "id miss the smell of gasoline and stuff from the older originals" if that was me. Pour a little on the cabin air filter?🤔... Oh! the green one was original.

[@KevinLin145]

Can't wait 10 years later when FJcompany and Toyota do the same thing with the 80 series.

[@nobs8124]

Woow very impressive job, I just like old school cars but original, but I prefer, Nissan patrol 👍👍

[@Kxji]

Land Cruisers in general are the vehicle of choice of Latin America, never thought I’ll see Larry shooting content in Latin America, especially about FJ’s car culture here is nice and full of JDM cars, also what’s up with those 911’s?!

[@nosignal88]

If i was a millionaire this would be my daily ❤

[@johnnyrocket1320]

Question - that town in the Columbia mountains you guys went to - was that the 80's film Location for Romancing the Stone ?

[@RmrzX]

This was shot outside of Suesca, Cundinamarca (Cundinamarca being the equivalent of a state), but given the fact that those mountains run thru half of the country, it could be anywhere in Colombia and the landscape would be the exact same lol

[@Jdog1681]

Even though romancing the stone is set in Colombia, most of it was filmed in Mexico. Maybe they included footage of Colombian mountains for scenic shots but odds are the answer to your question is no.

[@pinkipipe]

Wow 🤩…. That’s all I have to say it

[@masterrhino9106]

Awesome

[@pawelpiotr6198]

Looks Insane...what is exactly the colour? Blue/grey? Any Idea?

[@aungmyint147]

Yes, how do we place order of FJ40 (Built as Brand New) from Asia?

[@AnandsaikhanNyamdavaa]

Crazy cool 😂