A guy on Ebay is selling these 2 pics of an M37 in Vietnam. But looking at the pics there's some things wrong.......like the front bumper, the cowl vent has a point on it, the running boards have long ridges in them instead of the holes for traction, the front fenders look too thick on the edges, headlight guards are wrong, the blackout light has been moved to the left fender, the rims are wrong....etc. So is this an M37 or something else??
There were a few steps in between but if you look at the shapes of both vehicles a few sections seem similar so what I should have said is it is one of the Land cruisers predecessors, not THE predecessor..... My Bad too
From what I have read It's design was created from the WC series truck, not the M37, I am sure others on here know far more than me.
The Land Cruiser was actually based off the Willy's Jeep, and eventually morphed into the more common FJ40 series after it was determined that the Jeep design wasn't quite large enough, and needed more power. The "F" series straight six gas engine in the early 'cruisers (available up 1974 IMS) is a carbon copy of a Chevy 235 6cyl but "metric-fied"...
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Toyota has it down to an art form... I don't know much about the FQ15, but does appear to have a strong family link to the WC and M series trucks...
Kinda like the step child that's kept in the attic...
Ok, I stand corrected...? I was given a different story and that the Land cruiser was designed more as a truck and given the heavier mechanics and pointed front was more indicative of the WC series trucks than the Jeeps, the Suzuki was more Jeep like in it's design.
I'll ask the guys at the Auto museum for the info regarding what they told me, then I may be better educated on the matter.....
Monkey Man wrote:Ok, I stand corrected...? I was given a different story and that the Land cruiser was designed more as a truck and given the heavier mechanics and pointed front was more indicative of the WC series trucks than the Jeeps, the Suzuki was more Jeep like in it's design.
I'll ask the guys at the Auto museum for the info regarding what they told me, then I may be better educated on the matter.....
MM
Nothing is set in stone, at least when it comes to post-war Japanese vehicles and where they came from. The FJ45 (Land Cruiser Pickup) could almost be a contender for "cousin" status of the M37. That being said, the FQ15 could be a step brother...
The origins of the L.C. start during the war when the Japs reversed engineered a Bantam GP into what they called the AK10. It looked different than the Bantam, but function and size was similar. According to Wiki, almost no pictures of it remain, and few were produced.
After the war, the Korean war put the Jeep on Japans door step, and Toyota was asked to build 100 of them to the Willy's spec.
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