The upcoming Toyota FJ Cruiser EV is a sign that the Japanese manufacturer is holding onto its heritage 4x4 fundamentals. However, if you're one of those who want to stay true to the traditional principles, Legacy Overland's rendition of this 1971 FJ40 V8 will be right up your alley. The restomod sources a bunch of genuine Toyota parts, some of which are now being produced by Gazoo Racing, but to add more appeal to the product, it has installed some third-party accessories.

The biggest alteration is found under the hood where the custom builders have fitted a 5.7-liter V8 crate sourced from Chevrolet with a 600 cubic feet per minute Holly carburetor. This powers the 4x4 system via a four-speed manual gearbox comically housing an eight-ball knob. Legacy Overland doesn't drop any details regarding performance but as per Chevrolet's claims, we can assume it's close to the 333 horsepower and 381 lb-ft of torque region.

Ensuring additional safety, the FJ40 benefits from a set up uprated brake discs at the front and rear while a custom roll bar covers the entire cabin. Connecting it to the surface is a set of black-painted steel wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich all-terrain tires. The body is covered with a bespoke dark grey metallic paint with black accents and benefits from a hardtop roof with full front and rear ambulance doors.

For the adventurous driver, Legacy Overland has fitted front Warn lockers with an M8000 winch, a farm jack fitted to the front bumper, and a rear spare wheel applied to a swing-out carrier. Halogen headlights ensure that the SUV's iconic classical look is preserved.

Inside the cabin, you'll find a pair of bucket seats to ensure the driver and passenger and snug and secure while traversing tricky obstacles. The rear seating that consists of two sideway-mounted benches is not as secure. A premium and comfortable cabin experience is created via a leather-wrapped steering wheel, under-dash air-conditioning, additional auxiliary gauges, and a premium sound system.

Legacy Overland is not what we'd call a newcomer to the restomod game. We've already seen its impressive rendition of the 1977 FJ40 in Heath Gray which retained Toyota's 4.2-liter six-cylinder engine with a modified Weber carburetor. The 1979 recreation used similar principles with the inclusion of LED headlights.