"Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., was formed Oct. 31, 1957, establishing its headquarters in a former Rambler dealership in Hollywood, Calif. Sales began in 1958 and totaled a modest 288 vehicles – 287 Toyopet Crown sedans and one Land Cruiser.
Enthusiasm turned to gloom when it was found that the Toyopet, a sturdy vehicle with quality features and room to spare, was woefully underpowered and overpriced for the American market. Toyopet sales stalled and were discontinued in 1961. The legendary Land Cruiser, which quickly gained a reputation as a durable, all-terrain vehicle, carried the Toyota flag in the United Sates until 1965 when the Toyota Corona arrived."
The Toyopet wasn't just underpowered. According to one of Toyota's first sales managers in the US, "when you drove it at 50 miles per hour on American roads, it would shake like hell. More than that, the engines busted."
I'll probably never get the chance to photograph a Toyopet, but there are plenty of early Land Cruisers still on the road.
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