Toyota’s four-wheel drive was built for Japan’s National Police Reserve in 1951, patrolled for the National Police Agency, and went abroad to governments first: Pakistan in 1954, Saudi Arabia in 1955, Venezuela in 1956, Brazil (assembled there from 1959) and Australia (July 1959). Since then the Land Cruiser has been the four-wheel drive of armies, police forces, oil companies, the United Nations and the aid agencies across the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Australian outback; the Hilux is their pick-up.
The Land Cruiser in police and military service: built in 1951 for Japan’s National Police Reserve tender, taken up by the National Police Agency, exported from 1954 to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and from 1956 to Venezuela, and since the 40 Series the four-wheel drive of armies, gendarmeries and police forces across the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia; the Hilux and 70 Series pick-ups became the “technical” of irregular forces.
The Land Cruiser and Hilux at work since 1951: Japan’s forestry and electricity fleets, the oil-company and government fleets of Venezuela and the Gulf from 1956, the Bandeirante of the Brazilian interior from 1959, the Australian outback from 1959, and the white 70 Series of the United Nations and aid agencies since the 1980s.
