The 2015 Ram Laramie Limited is comfy as your favorite spot in the couch with the time-formed ass indent, but it'll never be as classy as this perfect original-spec 1961 Toyota Land Cruiser. Get closer to this preserved masterpiece in our gallery.
The Land Cruiser, also known as the FJ25 in 1961, was Toyota's best-selling vehicle that year... with 249 sold. Interestingly, "Land Cruiser" is the only nameplate Toyota has sold every year they've been operating in the US. Of course now it's one of the worst-performing by volume, but it and its luxurious cousin the Lexus LX are still with us.
The FJ25 had a giant 3.9 liter six-cylinder engine that made 105 horsepower and a four-speed manual transmission with low range. It measured just over 152" long and weighed in at about 3,500 pounds.
Today's US-market Land Cruiser stands at about 195" in overall length is almost 6,000 pounds portly.
The FJ25 was priced at $3,050 in 1961, which would work out to about $24,000 today. A 2015 Land Cruiser would cost you around $80,000 at an American dealership right now.
Images by the author
Andrew P. Collins is Jalopnik's off-road and adventure guy. Shoot him an email or hit him up on Twitter to talk trucks.