http://www.brian894x4.com/LC25.html
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What Toyota has to say about the first Landcruisers from it's
European website:
Land Cruiser?s birth could not have been more troubled. Japan was
just starting to recover from the chaos of World War II, and its
fragile economy was being kept alive by the U.S. occupation forces.
In April 1950 the Toyota Motor Company went through its darkest days,
with a large strike where production dropped to a few hundred units
that month.
Fortunately, in January 1951, the tide turned for Toyota when the
freshly-formed "Japanese National Police Reserve Forces" asked Toyota
engineers to produce an alternative to the American 4x4 Willys Jeep.
The first prototype - the Toyota Jeep BJ - failed to impress, but its
designers did not give up, and made a large number of technical
improvements. In July that year, test driver Ichiro Taira drove a BJ
up to checkpoint 6 on Mount Fuji, suitably impressing the potential
customers. In 1953, after two years of planning and negotiations, the
first 298 Toyota Jeep BJs were produced for the Japanese National
Police Reserve Forces and proved technical ly superior to the Willys
Jeep. Soon government forestry and utility agencies started to take
interest in Toyota?s tough new off-road vehicle. In 1954 the Toyota
Jeep BJ was renamed "Land Cruiser" after the Willys Company claimed
their trademark had been violated. A legend was finally born!
When the forerunner of the Toyota Land Cruiser first appeared in
1951, no-one could have imagined that they were witnessing the
beginning of tradition that would span more than half a century.
In July of that year, test driver Ichiro Taira ended his test of the
Toyota BJ with a flourish. Inspired by the Samurai Heikuro Magaki who
climbed the steps of Mt. Atago on horseback in 1634, Taira rode his
BJ up the steps to the Fudo temple in Okasaki city. This feat
convincingly demonstrated the value of the new vehicle.
The following month, the Toyota Jeep BJ was one of 26 Toyota vehicles
unveiled at a public showing in front of the Tokyo Railway Station.
The BJ was considered unusual to say the least - it matched a robust
3-ton truck engine with a chassis from a small transport
vehicle/passenger car.
In reality, those were the only materials Toyota had to work with.
But the combination worked. The smaller v ehicle's softer suspension
and car-like characteristics reduced driver fatigue and ensured a
comfortable ride. Add an ample sized body used for transporting
materials, driven by an engine with power to spare, and the BJ met
multiple needs in the market for a compact 4 x 4 vehicle.
Then history took a surprising turn. What might have been a
debilitating setback was instead the catalyst for unanticipated
advances. The Police Defense Forces, for whom the vehicle was
originally designed, decided against purchasing the BJ. This
stimulated development of an export strategy, which gave Toyota's
engineers considerably more freedom in design and development.
With its large piston displacement, longer wheelbase, larger body,
and softer suspension, the BJ was well-suited to the dawning new age
of the 4 x 4. By the time large-scale production began in 1953, the
Toyota Jeep BJ was looking confidently into its future -- the
overseas markets.
In fact, an English competitor - the Land Rover -- prompte d Hanji
Umehara, then Toyota's Managing Director, to rename the BJ. He needed
a name that sounded no less dignified, and so the Land Cruiser was
born.
By the mid-1950s the Japanese economy was back on its feet and
growing rapidly. The Toyota Crown was released and the Japanese
ministry for Trade and Industry announced its plan to build a
"National Car for Japan". Toyota was working hard to set up a
domestic sales network, but already the successful Land Cruiser was
seen as a potential export winner: Land Cruiser could hold its own
with rival products such as the American Willys Jeep or British Land
Rover. Toyota managers planned to use the Land Cruiser as a
bridgehead in foreign markets to be followed by other passenger cars.
Gradually the military-based BJ-design was altered to make it more
suitable for peacetime use. Softer springs were fitted to reduce
driver fatigue, and in 1955 the 20-series was launched alongside the
BJ. In 1957 the FJ25L was tested by the US Army in Baltimore, which
signalled to Toyota that the Land Cruiser was more than ready to take
on the USA.
The Toyota BJ-type went through a series of body shape design changes
over time. The original short body hooded cargo and passenger carrier
type was converted to a metal top type, and a closed type passenger
model was also released. For the cargo carrying version the rear was
extended by 500mm and converted to a pickup truck, and there was also
a truck with a separate unit cabin and truck bed.
The body panel was rather high off the ground, but access was still
fairly easy due to a broad sidestep. There were many variations on
spare tire storage, not only on the rear gate but even on the front
fender or below the truck bed.
Because the body was tapered toward the front, the diameter of the
steering wheel covered about half of the instrument panel. The gauges
were lined up in a row: fuel, oil pressure and water temperature
gauges, speedometer, electric current and voltage metres. In the
speedometer with its lar ge numbers there was also a kilometre and
mileage gauge.
The tapered body also meant that the two front seats were quite close
together, making the driver's seat feel rather cramped. With a
passenger in the front seat, steering was a bit difficult. However,
both seats folded in half to allow access to the rear seats.
The front windscreen was hinged so that it could be flipped up,
allowing a clear forward view. This was much more convenient than
having to remove the hood to lower the frame. When folded down, the
window frame could be secured with a hook at the edge of the bonnet,
using the same hook that secured the bonnet itself.
The fuel tank was placed in the rear overhang. The cap did not extend
out from the body and had to be accessed by lifting a lid. An
extension pipe could be pulled out to allow fuelling from a Jerry
can. The radiator cap extended from the grille, making it easier to
check the coolant level.