This year marks the 60th anniversary of the creation in 1951 of both the Nissan Patrol (or 4W60 as it was called at the time) and the Toyota Land Cruiser (Toyota Jeep BJ at the time). The designs were both created in response to a requirement defined by the Japanese National Police Reserve for a Jeep type vehicle. Neither were successful in their bids for the government business; the contract was awarded to Mitsubishi instead, who had negotiated a license agreement with Willys and were manufacturing exact copies of the CJ3-B Jeep.
Toyota and Nissan then both decided to turn to the export market with their designs. The first production Nissan 4W60 rolled off the line in September 1951, while production of the Toyota BJ commenced in 1953.
Some of the members of www.patrol4x4.co.za and the South African Nissan 4x4 club arranged get togethers in September 2011 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the creation and start of production of the 4W60 Patrol. There was a get together at Three Provinces close to the town of Volksrust and another at Melkbos in the Western Cape, each attended by about 60 Patrols and their crews.
Here are a few snaps from the Three Provinces meeting, that I attended:
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