Take a Tour of this Epic ICON Land Cruiser!
Before this ICON Land Cruiser is delivered to a lucky customer, it needs to get taken for one final test drive. You’re invited to the drive.
If you’re like me, when you think of Toyota Land Cruiser restomods, there’s one name that’s at the top of the list: ICON. The California company has been a fixture on the high-end build scene for so long, it often feels like it’s been around forever. In this video, founder Jonathan Ward takes us on a tour of a just-completed 1965 Land Cruiser that’s been given his company’s full treatment, and it showcases why so many customers are willing to pay a staggering premium for its work. Remember, these machines start at around $200k — and go up from there.
This rugged rig is the 174th FJ40 the company has built. It’s finished in Sand Tan, and sports custom ICON wheels in Volcanic Black, which match the bumpers, rack, and side steps. Like the rest of the truck, the 18-inch rims are built in California, and they feature floating center caps, so the logo is always right-side up. Now, that’s the kind of touch I generally associate with a manufacturer like Rolls-Royce. But given what an ICON costs, it makes sense to see it employed here too.
Under the hood, there’s the General’s light and powerful LS3 small block, which is mated to a tried-and-true four-speed automatic. While it’s got way more poke than the Toyota mill it replaced, the compact design means there’s also room for a Viair air compressor in the bay. So if you’re looking to air up your tires after a trip to the sand dunes, you’re covered. Both the front and rear axles are Dana-based Currie units, and they’re linked together with an air-locking differential from ARB, which utilizes its own compressor.
To help keep things from getting out of hand, there are beefy six-pot Brembo calipers at the front and four-pot calipers at the rear. Plus, there’s an old-school mechanical parking brake, so you can feel confident parking on steep inclines. In keeping with the Land Cruiser’s off-road focus, the seats are finished in marine-grade upholstery from Germany.
Check out the video for more details on this build, including how ICON mounts its lightbars so they don’t cause excessive wind at highway speeds. And if you haven’t seen it? I’d also recommend watching Ward’s video on his derelict Silver Cloud build, to see what he can do with an old Roller.
