TEXT AND IMAGES BY JONATHAN HANSON
What is the best expedition vehicle in the world? Picking just one is a tough thing to justify, and whatever you nominate you’re going to get lively arguments. But if there’s one choice that would appear at the top of most lists from those who have turned tens of thousands of miles in the remote parts of the globe, it is Toyota’s mighty 70-Series Land Cruiser Troop Carrier.
By 1980, Toyota’s Land Cruiser had firmly proven itself a reliable, durable alternative to the legendary Land Rover. The British icon, while eminently capable, rugged, and easy to work on, had suffered through ups and downs in quality control that opened the door to the impeccably constructed Japanese competitor, even in formerly stalwart British colonial markets in Africa and Australia.