It takes a hell of a truck to make a Toyota Land Cruiser looks a little small, but the Mega Cruiser handles it with aplomb. In shape a Hummer H1the largest and most capable Japanese SUV of its era was built in relatively limited numbers, and most were right-hand drive models delivered to the army. Auction site Cars and offers sells a particularly sought-after Mega Cruiser: it is a civilian model with left-hand drive.

One of about 150 civilian units built, the 1996 Mega Cruiser that’s looking for a new home has fewer than 50,000 miles on the odometer, which is remarkably low for a large SUV approaching its 30th anniversary. It’s unclear where it was imported from or when it landed on our shores, but the auction description says it’s located in Newport Beach, California, and, unsurprisingly, titled Montana.

The green and red livery is an aftermarket and the listing mentions many additional modifications. On the outside, there’s a foldable brush guard, LED light bar and full-length roof basket. Inside, you’ll find aftermarket cladding on a center console about as wide as a small stream, cool-looking spring-loaded cupholders often seen in Japanese-market cars, a display heads up and replacement parts in the audio system. .

None of these changes are major and the Mega Cruiser’s off-road benefits are all taken into account. It is powered by a 4.1-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel engine, producing approximately 155 horsepower and 282 lb-ft of torque. Pause for a second and imagine the size of these cylinders. Each displaces about 1,025 cubic centimeters, which is about the size of the Ford Fiesta’s 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder engine.

Output reaches all four wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission, two-speed transfer case, triple-locking differentials and portal axles. There is also a four-wheel steering system, and with approximately 16.5 inches of ground clearanceit takes a huge obstacle to stop the Mega Cruiser.

At the time of writing, bidding stands at $57,500 with approximately three days left in the auction. There is a reserve, meaning the highest bidder won’t necessarily win this off-road monster. It’s difficult to predict how much this Mega Cruiser will sell for because its configuration is quite rare, but there’s no sign that it will be cheap. Context is helpful here: Cars & Bids sold another low-mileage, left-hand-drive civilian model for $310,000 (!) in October 2022, while a right-hand drive military model that seemed exceptionally well preserved went for $36,000 in July 2023.

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