Every once in a while a vehicle surfaces that is so polarizing it makes Donald Trump look like a cuddly kitty cat. Andre Allers’ rod-ified Toyota FJ45 is one such ride. All it takes is a glance and you either love it or hate it… there is very little middle ground.

We came across this tricked out 1976 Toyota Land Cruiser from Allers Rods & Customs via engineswapdepot.com. The daring ride was brought to life by Andre and company in their Gauteng, South Africa shop. The build involved fabricating a custom chassis and a one-off suspension setup. A total of 1,400 man-hours were investing in hot rodding this classic slice of Japanese off roading.

For motivation the 2F inline six was ditched in favor of V8 power. But where many FJ enthusiasts go with a small-block Chevy, Allers kept it all in the family by wedging a Toyota 4.0-liter 1UZ-FE V8 under the hood.

The install utilizes a Toyota ECU and wiring harness and the powerplant reportedly pumps out 300 horsepower which more than doubles the Yota’s original 135 horsepower rating. Power is funneled to a Toyota A650E five-speed automatic transmission that drives the rear wheels via a modified Land Rover Discovery rear end. The British rear end, fitted with 3.75 gears, was converted from an offset pumpkin to a centered differential for this build. A custom-length driveshaft was needed to make it all work. The driveshaft mods and the window glass fitment are the only things on the Toyota that Allers didn’t not execute himself. Pretty impressive.

Classic-era FJ40s go for up to $25,000 in really good condition and $40,000 to $80,000 for pristine collector-quality examples, so choppin’ and droppin’ on these vintage wheelers takes some courage. What do you think of this ride? Is it sweetness or sacrilege? Please comment below.