PostWar Classic of the week: Suzuky Jimny LJ20 Convertible

Scrolling through the adverts in our online marketplace, we noticed two cars that are very similar but also totally different. Both for sale at Hyman Ltd. As they say it is ‘Toyota’s rugged and legendary Land Cruiser’  and ‘Suzuki’s plucky and delightful 4x4, the Jimny!

 

In the 1960s, Toyota’s FJ40 Land Cruiser was enjoying tremendous global success and soon other Japanese manufacturers wanted to get their piece of the rapidly expanding civilian 4x4 market. Nissan quickly followed Toyota’s lead with the six-cylinder Patrol, while Mitsubishi had been building their own version of the Willys Jeep since 1953. Suzuki was primarily known for their motorcycles and scooters, but they had been making small cars since the 1950s. In 1968, Suzuki purchased Hope Motor Company, which had produced about 15 examples of a 4x4 miniature Jeep, powered by Mitsubishi engines. Suzuki adapted this design and ditched the Mistu engine in favour of their own air-cooled 360 c.c. parallel twin two-stroke. Named the Jimny LJ10 (“Light Jeep 10”), Suzuki’s little truck was built to conform to Japanese “Kei” car regulations which imposed strict rules on overall length, displacement and power output. The 2-stroke twin made just 25 horsepower, but Jimny’s light weight of just 1,300 pounds and tiny size made it surprisingly capable off-road. It also had the distinction of being the only 4x4 car to qualify for Japan’s Kei car class.

 

In 1972, the Jimny was updated and renamed the LJ20. The styling was revised with vertical grille slats and some other minor cosmetic details. The two-stroke twin now featured water cooling and a small boost in power allowed for a 50 mph top speed. The Jimny (also called the Brute in some markets) was never officially imported to the United States by Suzuki, though a small number did find their way stateside via Intercontinental Equipment Corp which began importing them around 1970. Sales were a trickle at first but gradually grew to about 3,000 by 1974 – which was enough to attract Suzuki’s attention and prompt an official US version of the LJ20’s successor – the Samurai. The little Suzuki’s compact size and serious off-road capability made it a popular choice with farmers and landowners. However, as with any inexpensive utility vehicle, attrition rates were very high and only a handful have survived today.

 

The Jimny offered at Hyman is a lovely little car and seems to be in top condition. According to the description, the car is highly original and came from a collection of a dedicated Suzuki LJ enthusiast. And although this normally isn’t part of a sales pitch, we like the line “it is a zero options’ example. Cause, let’s be honest; you don’t want options on a car like this. You just want to use it without breaking it.

The Land Cruiser stays our favourite but this little Suzuki has attracted our attention as it is much rarer, equally much fun and for less than half the price!

 

Find the advert here.