Toyota Land Cruiser – 60 years of glory

Toyota Land Cruiser – 60 years of glory

TOKYO : August 1, 2011 - It has been exactly 60 years, when Toyota’s legendary 4x4 model was revealed to the public as the Toyota BJ on 1st August 1951. Originally introduced for military purposes, the vehicle evolved into an incredibly capable, extremely reliable and unstoppable all-wheel drive machine that conquered the Arctic and the Antarctic, crossed deserts and rain forests, worked in mines, helped to save lives in faraway places and has been the best companion of many who circumnavigated around the globe.

There are no boundaries, no obstacles that could stop it. The Land Cruiser is one of the toughest four-wheel drive vehicle the world has ever seen offering a unique combination of outstanding off-road capability and on-road driving pleasure attracting more than 6 millions customers over 190 countries worldwide since its launch.

The Toyota Land Cruiser’s long-lasting success story goes back to the introduction of the BJ model – originally based on the SB-type truck chassis - which was the first vehicle to be driven to the sixth hill station of Japan’s Mount Fuji, at an altitude of 2,500 metres. In 1955 the latest version of the BJ was given the generic name ‘Land Cruiser’, a combination of words that became synonymous for a reliable and durable 4x4 with the highest standards of quality and comfort.

In the 50’s and 60’s as a part of Toyota export strategy the emphasis was put on emerging markets like Middle-East and South America where Land Cruiser became a real success model leading the company’s development and reputation.

Originally designed as a Heavy Duty vehicle, two additional body types were introduced to cater for different customer needs. In 1966 Toyota launched the FJ55, the first Station Wagon type model – predecessor of the current LC200 V8 – in response for the increasing demand for people and cargo carrier. In 1984, the company saw the need to create the Light

Duty type version which delivered the combination of easy manoeuvrability, uncompromised off-road capabilities while bringing more refinement and comfort.

The launch of the current Land Cruiser raised the bar even higher in the fields of quality, durability and refinement, for which the model remains respected throughout the world.

Today Toyota proudly celebrates the 60th birthday of its iconic Land Cruiser model and also looks confidently ahead to offer further unique innovations in the future.

Video : Toyota Land Cruiser - 60 years of glory

[Source : TOYOTA]

MTM A7 3,0 TDI Quattro - a little bit more power?

2011 MTM A7 3.0 TDi Quattro

Diesel engines prefer to show their strong sides in the part-load operational range: here they have a good traction and consume a little. This is also true for the A7 TDI Quattro which offers 245 hp and a tight torque of 500 Nm. For the typical MTM customer it can even be more in this 3 litre compression-ignition engine. Roland Mayer, head of MTM and the driving force behind this engineering laboratory outside the gates of Ingolstadt, learned about the original virtues of Audi six-cylinder cars, cultivated them partially and prepared two more variations, which leave nothing to be desired:

285 hp and 580Nm or 300 hp and 600Nm. This operation proceeds minimal inversive in both cases and is settled after 90 minutes. For the moderate version MTM focuses on the approved M-Cantronic. In business class MTM modifies the control unit. This heads the shapely A7 to a highspeed of 263 km/h. Both systems are available for 1.392 Euro incl. fitting.

Around 2.600 Euro – inclusive fitting – the perfectly adjusted exhaust system with four 89mm tail pipes costs. This is a visible sign that a MTM diesel is expected rather on the fast lane than on the slow lane.

This is not enough. More performance often requests the wish of a better handling. A suspension system for the A7 TDI Quattro is already tested and will soon be available for active operation. The MTM 20 inch rims in the Bimoto design in combination with 20mm or 30mm wheel spacers are also a part of the MTM product range. ‘The package is not yet calculated but I think that the suspension system will be available at a price of 699,- Euro’ says Roland Mayer. The earliest delivery date will be end of August 2011.

Images : 2011 MTM A7 3.0 TDi Quattro

    
    
  

[SOurce : MTM]