Member Spotlight: Mohammed’s 200 Series — 4 Years, 3 Phases, One Direction

When Mohammed first bought his 2018 Land Cruiser 200 Series, he told himself he’d keep it “mostly stock.” That lasted about three months. We caught up with him to talk through the build’s three distinct phases and what he’d do differently.

Phase 1: The Essentials (2021)

Like most builds, it started with tyres and a lift. Mohammed fitted a 2″ Old Man Emu suspension upgrade with BP-51 shocks, moved to 285/75R17 Toyo Open Country M/T tyres on black steel wheels, and added a winch bumper with a 12,000lb Warn EVO. Total spend was around AED 22,000.

“I thought I was done. I was absolutely not done.”

Phase 2: Overland-Capable (2022–2023)

A roof tent changed the trip profile. To support longer expeditions, Mohammed added a full drawer system in the load bay, a 60L ARB fridge, a 200Ah lithium house battery with DC-DC charger, and roof rack with integrated solar. The LC200’s existing rear air lockers got upgraded with an aftermarket front locker too.

Phase 3: Competition Ready (2024)

The current configuration is built around desert navigation events and the UAE 4×4 Challenge circuit. A full roll cage (stripped interior on event days), long-range fuel tank, and GPS mounting system round out a rig that can do school runs on Monday and stage rallies on Friday.

What He’d Tell You

“Plan your build around one specific use case and build toward it. I spent more rebuilding things I’d just installed than I would have spent doing it right the first time. Know whether you’re an overlander or a competitor — they’re different vehicles.”

Mohammed runs convoys for the community most other weekends. Look for his posts in the Drives section.