We live in a world where passion and function too often fall to hysteria and conventional wisdom as the inspiration for cars. Design visions are blurred by market research, function falls victim to fashion and expenses are spared in the name of economics. Jonathan Ward is on his own quiet quest to challenge that with a hand-built high-end SUV that starts at $105,000.
Ward, the founder, CEO and lead designer of TLC Inc., is known for his love of the classic Toyota FJ40. His company is known for unrivaled Land Cruiser restorations. Now he's building his own FJ line, the death of SUVs be damned, and he's followed it up with a modern take on the venerable Willys Jeep. He's even toying with the idea of an EV with attitude.
“The big guys are scared of stating an opinion,” Ward said.
His opinion has created a tribute to the venerable FJ that could be the truck that the original never was.
Ward’s company has so much clout in the Land Cruiser community that Akio Toyoda consulted him in the creation of Toyota's retro FJ Cruiser. He delivered three concept vehicles as a modern homage to one of the greatest SUV legacies to roll off an assembly line.
"The FJ40 was very purposeful. Very functional,” he said.
But once the design went through the Toyota design machine at Calty, Ward felt the FJ's spirit had been lost. He was less than happy and began to wonder how he would have done it differently. The Icon vehicle line is what he came up with. It's a Land Cruiser done the "right" way.
Ward and company did everything to perfection. They received OEM CAD files for everything from chassis design and body panels to the engines and axles. Then they started from scratch. Ward said new prototyping technology and reverse engineering on the design side made his “hair-brained low-volume vehicle schemes viable.”
The first of his trucks rolled off the line in January, 2006. They look everything like a classic Land Cruiser until you take a close look. There are stainless steel parts everywhere. Closed-cell foam ensures a dry and comfortable seat regardless of the weather. A complete redesign of the soft-top -- using fabric from Mercedes-Benz, snaps from Bentley and marine-grade zippers -- make the original seem like dollar-store kite. A full foot of travel in the coil suspension slung from a modern frame with 50/50 and 4-corner weight distribution keep the ride sturdy and true. "Half-assed" isn't in Ward's vocabulary.
And don’t worry about pinstriping your ride while cruising through the brush. Icons aren't painted. They're powder coated.
“Paint doesn’t make sense on a four-wheel-drive,” Ward said.
Every vehicle is built to order per the customer’s wants, needs and personal fetish for power and performance. You can get one with engines that range from a reasonably efficient 28 mpg diesel to a GM LS6 that puts down 450 horsepower and 458 pound-feet of torque so you can outrun your inhibitions -- or at least those of your passengers. One might call the 14 mpg monster excessive, but it’s an improvement over the original's 11 mpg and you can do four-wheel burnouts on demand.
Ward doesn’t know the trucks top speed or zero to 60, but why would he? Its an FJ. What he could tell us was the gearing is set for a realistic and fuel-efficient 70 mph at 1,800 rpm. It's done a leisurely 330-mile drive from Van Nuys, California to Monterey, California at a claimed average speed of 93 mph, though we can't wrap our heads around how that's possible. Regardless of the speed, anyone who's owned an original FJ40 would equate such a drive -- on or off-road -- with medieval forms of torture. The Icon is designed to dominate off-road but get you there in comfort without the burdens of a trailer queen.
As you may have guessed all the on- and off-road performance pieces and accoutrements left Ward at a crossroads that would send any other CEO into a hair-pulling fit. He'd built an SUV with a base price of $100,000 and faced the eternal question of the auto biz: Dumb it down and reduce the quality -- and distinction -- or spare no expense in the pursuit of excellence.
"I decided to stick to my druthers and keep the quality,” Ward said.
Quality isn't cheap, and the entry point for an Icon is $105k. Go nuts and you'll hit $170,000 adding things like six-piston brakes and Chilewich seat covers. A typical build up runs $125,000 to $140,000k. He's having no trouble selling them, either. Icon has sold 57 so far.
The current FJ body-styles available are the FJ40, FJ43, and FJ45 that vary in wheelbase and utility. There's also a new CJ3B Limited Edition based on the iconic flat-fendered Willys Jeep. It starts at $79,000.
So what about competition from the big boys? Ward isn't worried.
“The design is already part of our collective culture and iconic,” he said. “It's already outdated and we will never challenge the big guys with sales volume. But we will challenge the content quality of their vehicles.”
Don't think Icon will stop with 4x4s or be bound by tradition. Its mission is to update iconic cars and trucks with modern design and reliability. So what’s next? Ward's talking about an electric vehicle based on the CJ platform and, cooler still, revisiting the VW Thing.
Photos: Icon
