Icon turns Toyota FJ40 utes into impressive classics

The Icon factory in a Los Angeles suburb is a ute wonderland. This is the place that some of the world's most beautiful and expensive utes are handmade.

Icon is the brainchild of Jonathan Ward, a man who loves cars as well as industrial design, and it recreates all kinds of fantastic machines. The company does everything from new-age Ford Broncos to Derelicts -- classic cars fitted out with new chassis' and engines -- but it is Ward's version of the Toyota FJ40 and particularly the ute that has put the company on the map.

The new-age FJ is not cheap and prices range from about $160,000 to $230,000 in our money. Before you choke on your grits, it should be explained the Icon FJs are not simply restored vehicles or even new versions of the old cars. They are instead totally new vehicles with unique bodies, suspension, and axles and are fitted with premium elements such as turned aluminium dials. They are also powered by Corvette V8s.

We dropped by Icon's plant during a recent trip to Los Angeles to check out the FJ40 and see how it is made. There are some wonderful things being created at Icon, including a new-age Willys Jeep, an electric bicycle and even a Land Rover Defender that was being stripped and rebuilt with new components.

One of the most beautiful objects in the factory is the FJ40, particularly the ute version. Ward explains that he didn't want to use steel because of potential rust, so Icon uses aluminium bodies produced by a Canadian company that also builds boats for the US military.

Instead of being painted normally, Icon uses a powdercoat, a process normally used for smaller items such as bicycles. This is more durable and Ward says you have to try very hard to scratch the surface. The ute version of the FJ sits on the long wheelbase chassis and has a 1.7m long cargo bed.

Readers interested in the Icon FJ might be pleased to hear they can be made in right-hand drive. Ward says none have been shipped to Australia yet but he is working with an Australian company to allow interested customers to bring them in and have them registered.