To celebrate its 40th anniversary, ARB has a special new project called Off Road Icons. ARB is selecting four of the most iconic 4WDs of the last four decades, restoring them to their former glory and pitting them up against one of Australia’s most iconic 4WD destination: the Simpson Desert. Once vehicles are chosen with the help of 4WD fans, vehicles are procured, receive a makeover and are decked out in ARB gear.
The vehicles that make up the ARB’s Off Road Icons are:
• FJ40 Landcruiser – the vehicle that really began Australia’s love affair with the 4X4. A true workhorse in every sense, the FJ40 is still sought after, even though production ended in 1984. With over a million sold worldwide (and over 120,000 sold in Australia alone), it’s easy to see why the 40 made the list.
• Nissan GQ Patrol - Australia’s most popular large 4WD. While the GQ has been out of production since 1997, the Y60 GQ platform is still being used as a military vehicle in some countries.
• Toyota HiLux fifth generation chosen for its live axle front suspension. The HiLux was built for reliability with comfort, (the “lux” does stand for luxury after all) and remains Europe’s best-selling pickup.
• Land Rover Defender - the addition of coil springs is what elevated the Defender from bare-bones utility vehicle to something that was actually comfortable to drive both on and off the trail.
That was going to be the end of the list, but then fans from the U.S. insisted that one more vehicle be added to the list: the Jeep TJ as it’s the quintessential Icon to represent a massive piece of 4×4 history. To follow ARB’s Off Road Icons project and to learn more about the vehicle makeovers, visit icons.arb.com.au