Fort’s Toyota Plans Special Edition FJ Developed by Joe Bacal - Prototype to Debut at 2012 SEMA Show

PEKIN, Illinois, July 17, 2012 – Like its famous ancestors, Toyota‘s FJ Cruiser has legions of fans. Conspicuous among them is Mike Fort, an Illinois Toyota dealer who specializes in FJs and related accessories. Now Fort has commissioned Lexus off-road racer Joe Bacal to create a race-inspired FJ Cruiser to sell exclusively at Fort’s Toyota dealership near Peoria. The prototype will make its debut at the SEMA Show later this year.

Fort has a passion for off-road and the FJ Cruiser in particular. When he went looking for someone to teach him the finer points of driving off pavement, it made perfect sense to contact off-road expert, Joe Bacal. The Baja 500/1000 winner’s success as a desert racer was naturally compelling, but Bacal’s background as a development driver at Toyota’s Arizona proving ground also caught Fort’s interest. During training sessions, Fort and Bacal hatched a plan to develop the special FJ. Read More→