SALT LAKE CITY — Like Romeo and Juliet, the love story between a person and their car is a passion that is not easily explained, and that passion has spawned a world-famous museum right here in Salt Lake City.
If you live for the thrill of adventure, the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum is for you.
The only one like it in the world, it has become a staple of those who love their Toyotas and gear heads alike.
“As far as we know, this is the only Land Cruiser museum to exist.” Greg Miller, the museum's founder and chairman.
In the shadows of downtown Salt Lake City, you’ll find a museum dedicated to both the vehicles and the people who have a passion for them.
THE MAN BEHIND THE CRUISERS
Miller has been a prolific Utahn, following in his dad’s footsteps and working in the family business for decades, but one constant throughout his life has been the Land Cruiser.
"For myself, I find that when I'm in a Land Cruiser, I'm usually in a place I love, with people I love, doing what I love," he says.
Miller is the driving force behind the museum’s inception starting from a young age.
“My love for Land Cruisers started when I was very young," he shared. "My dad was running a Toyota dealership in Colorado. Often, there was a Land Cruiser on the showroom floor, and that was my playground until my dad was ready to go.”
That love soon translated to his own adventures.
“Almost every chapter of our family life had some form of Land Cruiser in it,” Miller said, adding “taking my driver's test in one on my 16th birthday, the first one I bought when I was 17, and just on and on and on — even today, I just bought another one. I drove it here for the first time.”
EXPEDITIONS 7
That love spawned an idea with Miller taking up a goal in 2011 to drive a car across all 7 continents, and of course that vehicle had to be a Land Cruiser.
“This was a really neat expedition. I drove this vehicle and some of the others with it across all seven continents.”
The 58,196-mile, three-year road trip was “a dream come true” for Miller and his team who took a group of vehicles, now on display at the museum, on the trip.
The incredible feat came with an even more incredible record, during the trip there was only one minor failure to the vehicles, which was promptly fixed in all newer models of the Land Cruiser when brought to the attention of engineers in Japan.
The idea for the museum, however, came at the beginning of the journey, when it came to picking up the vehicles.
“As part of the itinerary, we scheduled time to visit various Toyota museums throughout Japan," recalled Miller. "I was really excited to see the Land Cruisers that I was sure were on display.”
But there wasn’t a single Land Cruiser to be found.
So, what’s a dedicated fan to do?
“I started thinking about what it would take to create a Land Cruiser museum myself," Miller explained. "I love having the museum here because I love being here.”
CRUISERS IN SLC
The museum started at Miller Motorsports Park before relocating to its current building off 600 North. The museum has now grown into an impressive collection that includes new, old, rare, strange, and downright cool vehicles.
Every museum needs its expert, and that's where Dan Busey, the resident Land Cruiser aficionado, comes into the picture. If you need a part or knowledge on an obscure fact, Dan is your guy, and his passion shows no end.
“A Land Cruiser is not just transportation; it’s a family member. It's a way of life," Busey said. “They do all have their own stories.”
The museum is a beacon for Land Cruiser enthusiasts who travel from around the world, with Busey saying he's had people share how they journeyed to Salt Lake City just to visit.
THE AUSSIE
Visitors like Myles De Beus from Australia.
“I was looking for things to do. I like museums. Then I saw the words 'Land Cruiser' and 'museum' in the same title and thought that needed my attention,” De Beus said.
During his trip to Utah, De Beus wanted to learn more about the off-roading culture in the U.S., admitting that while he has had his fair share of trips in a Land Cruiser, he hopes to one day create a similar culture around Suzukis.
“I didn’t think there’d be that many of them in Salt Lake, let alone in one building,” he said.
What makes the Land Cruiser a vehicle that draws people from all over the world? Miller calls it “cruiser magic,” adding “I am not sure what it is, but I know it’s real.”
MORE THAN A CAR
Now, one man’s lifelong love for his Land Cruisers has turned into a place for everyone to celebrate them.
“And it will exist as long as there are people out there who have an appetite to come and see these Land Cruisers,” Miller shared.
When asked what his younger self would think walking through the museum doors and seeing all those Land Cruisers, Miller responded with emotion in his voice.
“That’s a great question," he said. "It probably would have been hard to get me out of this room.”
Land Cruiser owners, Busey encourages you to hop in and just drive.
“If it's in the garage or in the backyard and hasn't been touched in 10 years and is under 17 layers of cardboard, inspire yourself to clean all that junk off of it, get it running, and drive it,” he said.
Drive it down to this Uniquely Utah museum, which brings out the love for adventure in all of us.
