Prado to celebrate 70 years of the Land Cruiser

The next-gen Land Cruiser 300 debuts in several days, but in the meantime, the company unleashes the Prado 70th Anniversary Limited Edition in Japan.

The car comes in five different finishes and sports a number of darkened elements, including 18-inch wheels, chrome details, mirrors and roof rails, as well as a special badge with the version name on it. Brown leather dominates the interior, and there are floor mats with the same Prado emblem.

Power comes courtesy of a 2.7-liter gas engine rated at 163 PS (160 hp / 120 kW) or a 2.8-liter turbo diesel good for 204 PS (201 hp / 150 kW). Six-speed automatic transmission is used in both cases.

Prices in Japan begin from the equivalent of U.S. $39,200, and similar editions will eventually be released on other markets as well.

The marque’s first off-roader emerged 70 years ago and was ordered by the U.S. authorities needing reliable AWD cars to use in Asian regions. The Japanese company took the Jeep Willys as the starting point and slotted a proprietary 3.4-liter inline-six under the hood rated at 85 PS (84 hp / 63 kW). This is how the original Land Cruiser was born.