The “Wonder” Land Cruiser Is A Weird Reverse Facelift

The 80 Series Toyota Land Cruiser was widely regarded as one hell of an off-roader. A Japanese company by the name of Flex Dream decided that it would be more desirable with a new face.

Enter the “Wonder” Land Cruiser, an 80 Series with the face of a 60 Series. The Wonder is just one of many products the company offers and it gives one of the best-loved SUVs of all time a more classic countenance, as Flex replaces the front end with an older-style grille and round headlights.

Mind you, the modification doesn’t come cheap, as it costs at least 3 million yen (about $30,000 USD).

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If you’re asking why someone might want a Land Cruiser from the 1990s in a 1980s costume, then you aren’t a Toyota nerd. Essentially, the 80 Series Land Cruiser sits at a really likable nexus of automotive history.

The ‘90s were actually a really good time for cars, whose engines and drivetrains were becoming more modern, but whose safety constraints didn’t require odd proportions or excessive computerization.

The Land Cruiser from that era had a straight-six that actually made good power , as well as a classic ladder-frame chassis and a floating axle and other old-school off-roading bona fides. It did the 0-60 in 11.9 seconds, which might not sound all that fast, but was 2.3 seconds faster than its predecessor. Later generations of the Land Cruiser started introducing more modern suspensions that may be as effective, but are also much more complicated.

So, the 80 Series is a real sweet-spot. The 60 Series does look pretty great, though. So why not have the best of both worlds?

Flex Dream even has a configurator that lets you build a one, two, or three-tone Wonder, as well as pick the interior trim on your car. Moreover, you can even option out a 2-inch lift or a surfboard carrier.