California-based Icon has unveiled its first Chevrolet Sububan-based build. The first model in a new range of resto-modded classics called Suburban Reformer Series is a one-off 1970 model with an extensive list of modifications, supercar-like power, and a price tag to match.
“[The] client wanted us to stretch creatively, which resulted in more aggressive performance and styling than we typically opt for. All these beautiful design touches were integrated with astounding performance and all the modernity one could hope for in a luxury vehicle,” summed up Icon founder Jonathan Ward in a statement. It sounds like the anonymous customer is about to take delivery of one hell of a truck.
Icon started the project with a three-door Suburban that was unmodified down to the factory paint. Many would have driven it as-is, but Ward and his team saw it as a blank canvas for a one-of-a-kind project inspired by the less-is-more approach to design that characterizes the work of European designer Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. One of the first steps was adding a fourth door in the name of practicality. Icon then gave the exterior a subtle make-over that includes a one-piece grille machined from 6061 billet and HRE wheels wrapped by ZR-rated tires.
Nearly every part of the interior has been customized. The driver faces a three-spoke steering wheel and a modern instrument cluster while sitting on a custom-designed bench seat. Modern amenities include air conditioning, power-operated windows, and USB charging ports.
The modifications continue under the sheetmetal. Power comes from a Nelson Racing Engines-sourced 427-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) LS V8 that’s twin-turbocharged to deliver 1,000 horsepower and 900 pound-feet of torque. For context, that’s approximately the same amount of horsepower as the new Lamborghini Revuelto (which uses a plug-in hybrid drivetrain built around a V12) and a torque increase of about 100 pound-feet. The engine spins the rear wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission. Rather than drop a 1,000-horsepower engine on a stock Suburban frame, Icon built the truck on a one-off chassis built by Art Morrison with a four-wheel independent suspension system.
Brembo brakes keep the power in check, while power steering make parking a behemoth of a family hauler an easy task. The finishing touch is on the driver’s door handle: Icon machined the commissioning customer’s initials into the push button. Beyond adding an extra note of personalization, this cool detail is a tribute to the client’s relatives, who worked on Chevrolet assembly lines when the Suburban was built.
If you’re curious to see what an Icon-built, $1.1 million one-off 1970 Chevrolet Suburban looks like in the metal, head over to the Icons of Design event taking place on November 19 at the Hagerty Garage in Van Nuys, California, to check it out.
Source: www.autoblog.com