This little piece is the start of a series I’m calling “Unobtanium.” It highlights vehicles that we can’t legally import here in America, but many off-road and overland enthusiast wish we could have. There is a 25yr import rule in America on vehicles that were not imported here by the manufacturer, meaning they have not gone through the crash testing and emissions control tests to be certified for import.
The first vehicle I’d like to highlight is “Snoopy” the Troopy, an ex ambulance 1997 Toyota 70 series Land Cruiser troop carrier owned by Matt Scott & Laura Chain in Australia. It is a HZJ75 model with a 1HZ 4.2 N/A diesel and a H55F 5-speed manual transmission. I got the opportunity to not only drive this incredible vehicle on and off road, but also help with its transformation from basic used ambulance to a proper overland vehicle.
Toopys, or troop carriers, are sought after by overlanders because of their huge interior volume, bulletproof durability and off-road capabilities. They can be set up in a variety of ways which create interior and/or exterior living, sleeping and/or storage space. There are also a large volume of available aftermarket off-road and overland parts for the 70 series Land Cruiser that can quickly elevate this capable stock vehicle to something extremely capable off-road and comfortable to live and adventure out of.
Snoopy is currently doing a big overland adventure around Australia and recently tackled the tough Old Telegraph Track up to Cape York, the NE most point in Australia. Considered one of the most technically challenging tracks in Australia, it fully proved the capabilities of this amazing overland machine. Read about Snoopy’s Cape York adventure HERE.
While you can buy older Land Cruiser Troopys from around the globe and import them legally into the US, you can’t YET bring in quality examples like “Snoopy.” Newer turbo charged diesel V8 models are even more lust worthy, and even more sought after unobtanium for North American Toyota overland enthusiasts.
