The Toyota MegaCruiser was a special project that ran for seven years. Essentially, it was Toyota's version of the Hummer and was used by the Japanese Police, Fire & Rescue and Self-Defence Force. Using a 4.1L turbo-diesel four-cylinder, it wasn't much of a commercial success, but it was great.

The MegaCruiser died in 2002, but it lives on in spirit today down-under in every jacked up, fat-tyred LandCruiser that hits the outback or the forest tracks.

This is one such LandCruiser, and despite rolling on a massive set of Baja Claw 37s, its owner Emil Xarellin considers this his family tourer. You would too if one of your previous fourbies was a Hummer H1!

Emil bought this neat '97 40th Anniversary model just on 12 years ago now, and being a tenth-month build, it's one of the last 80 Series built. "It was in near-new condition with very low kays," says Emil. "It's a great family tourer and fits eight people." When you've got five kids in tow and you throw Emil and his wife Diane into the mix, you need a big, full-size wagon to get the whole family into the bush. "The 80 Series is the perfect truck for large family touring," Emil tells us. "The 100 is just a tad too big and heavy."

"I wanted a tourer and a hardcore family 4WD all in one," says Emil, and with the package he's put together here, we think he's got it covered.

When he can, Emil loves to get dirty in the Watagans, Appin, Hampton or Zig-Zag up in the Blue Mountains, and with a twin-locked 80 Series, there's no terrain that can stop him.

Just because this is the family tourer going on 12 years now doesn't mean that Emil hasn't stopped building it up. It's already a serious machine, but he is looking to go one step further with a set of portal hubs from Marks 4WD Adaptors. If you think this rig is a MegaCruiser now, wait until you see it with an extra 8in of ground clearance underneath!

Until then, Emil is just going to keep driving it and getting the family away when he can, and that's what we love here at 4WD Action. People who build them tough, use them hard, and drive them well.

INTERIOR

The last of the 80 Series (like Emil's) came with some nice interior improvements and gone were the brown interiors of the earlier 80s. Emil has added to this by fitting a nice custom-made roof console. Normally with a lot of roof consoles you'd lose the 'Cruiser's subtank gauge, but that's the beauty of this custom one. It even handles Emil's CD stacker! Speaking of sounds, the tunes are provided by a Clarion touch screen and get pumped through a set of Excellence Car Audio speakers.

When he's out on the tracks, Emil's communications are handled by a GME TX4300 UHF radio, and to make sure the 'Cruiser keeps those fat tyres on the right trail, Emil uses a Magellan Crossover GPS. Keeping the seats clean in your rig can be a chore, especially when you've been driving through mud, so to keep the muck off Emil uses some Black Duck canvas seat covers. These must surely be the new must-have 4WD accessory.

Now most of you would normally remove the third-row seats (if you have them) to fit a seat of drawers, but with five kids in tow, Emil needs every seat he can, but he always does find room for the ARB 60L fridge/freezer. Keeping that company in the back is a full TJM recovery kit that goes everywhere the 80 does.

EXTERIOR