For a small shop that handmakes retro-modernist cars in Los Angeles, California, reaching build number 159 would certainly cause extreme celebration. But we’re dealing with the renowned Icon 4x4 specialist here, so it’s actually #159 in the model series it usually restores and modernizes.
Naturally, with this restomod being part of the Toyota FJ heritage and actually their first-ever “Old School” FJ43, there’s always time for a little presentation. And it’s handled by none other than Jonathan Ward, the designer and CEO of both TLC (“the nation's oldest and most respected full service for Land Cruisers from 1958 to current model year”) and Icon 4x4.
He’s not a man that likes to beat around the bush (pun intended, since the first shot of the FJ43 is on a trail surrounded by them shrubs), so he immediately dives in and gives us a full rundown of the specifications.
Everything starts with explaining why this design package (one of four, there are also New School, Roadster, and Derelict styles) is called Old School. For example, it comes with traditional front and back bumpers or the classic tire carrier, although the latter does feature a subtle upgrade to get rid of the well-known rattles.
The dress code for this particular shade is called Pacific Blue, and it’s mixed with the standard Old School fit and finish that includes a lot of trim elements (both for the exterior and the interior) that will help the FJ43 go under the radar, thanks to the subtle shade of gray. It has a matching Dove Gray soft-top that’s the usual German canvas affair with a hand-tailored three-ply over insulation material and then another three plies.
Next up is the interior, from the 1:49 mark, and the atmosphere remains just as classic in the cabin with help from the blue and gray paint for the metal surfaces and the trimmings. The front seats, meanwhile, don’t look just as Old School even though Icon also dressed them up in a matching gray aerospace vinyl that’s both “soft and durable.”
Because every Icon FJ can be as unique as the client wishes so (after all, they’re spending at least $198k on the build), this FJ43 has only been treated to a couple of jump seats in the back, as the owner “didn’t need to shift that many sardines.”
Well, at least he does it fast, as the “mechanical situation” presented from the three-minute mark includes an LS swap, with the aluminum fuel-injected 6.2-liter V8 sporting a lot of grunt: 430 horsepower and 450 lb-ft (610 Nm).
Because it’s an Old School, the SUV has the five-speed manual transmission instead of the four-speed automatic, but everything else from then on is purposely up to date, including the Dana 60/44 front and rear axles, the Icon Brembo brakes, or the adjustable suspension setup, among others.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News