I heard rumors about this back at KOH (beginning of Feb) and today I discovered as per their website that it's true, Proffitt's Cruisers has shut down.

I am in no way capable of representing who or what Proffitt's Cruisers was, so I will leave this to those who actually know Jeremiah and the company on meaningful level. (I haven't even wheeled in Utah since last century)

I do however know they are well known for the Land Cruiser expertise and for building huge beastly Land Cruisers, such as these...





and of course they had a good reputation for taking over-the-top sexy FJ40 pictures such as...



Visiting their website today, and I find this letter:

An Open Letter to Cruiser Enthusiasts

February 15, 2013
Tooele Valley, Utah

Dear Cruiser Enthusiasts:

After much deliberation, I have decided that it is necessary to cease operation of Proffitt's Cruisers. This was a very difficult decision to make and not one that was taken lightly.

All rebuilds currently in process will be completed. All deposits will be refunded in full, and all Cruisers on premise will be shipped back to their owners at our expense.

Unfortunately, for many reasons, Proffitt's was unable to attain profitability despite the best efforts and intentions of many. After investing significant capital, subsidizing months of operational losses and many other efforts to turn the business around, it was determined that it was in our best interest to close.

Proffitt's has filled a valuable role in salvaging many useful parts and vehicles that would have otherwise deteriorated from exposure to the elements. We have accumulated dozens of Conex boxes full of Land Cruiser parts that I hope will serve the Cruiser community well in to the future at some point. With few exceptions, the items that were recycled had value only as scrap.

Even though a few more parts were scrapped than should have been, in the long run there will be more parts available to the Cruiser community due to the volume of parts that we containerized.

I am proud to offer qualified Proffitt's employees the opportunity to remain with us by transferring elsewhere within the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies.

It is my sincere hope that the closing of Proffitt's Cruisers can be seen for what it is; a business decision. There is no point in trying to place blame or point fingers. Everyone involved gave their best effort and things simply didn't work out.

I am a dedicated Land Cruiser enthusiast and will continue to do all I can to celebrate and preserve the history of one of the greatest vehicles ever made. The best part of my involvement with Proffitt's Cruisers is the relationships I've developed since I first met Jeremiah Proffitt in September of 2009. I will continue to do all I can to create Cruiser magic and as a fellow Land Cruiser enthusiast I hope you will too.

See you on the trail.

Sincerely,
Signature

Greg Miller
Chief Operating Officer
Larry H. Miller Group of Companies

For more information, please call 1-877-PROFFITT.

I just wanted to post this and share my condolences to all involved and for the huge loss to the Land Cruiser community. If you have a good experience or story to post up, then please do as I've only heard great things about Proffitt's and I know Marlin is good friends with all of them over there in Utah.

Our hobby lost another great cornerstone I wish I had more to say such as personal experiences but I never had the opportunity and now they are gone...

Regards,
BigMike