Saturday Drive: Icon FJ40

Icon is a shop based in Chatsworth that builds three different custom vehicles by hand, to the tune of 18 to 20 sales a year, according to owner Jonathan Ward.  (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)

We tested an FJ40, which is hand-built using all-aluminum body panels made in Canada and an updated Land Cruiser frame that’s reinforced with steel rails. A pair of engines is offered, both of which are crate motors from GM.  (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)

The base engine is a Vortec 5.3-liter V-8 good for 350 horsepower, but our tester had the optional LS6 engine with an aluminum-blocked 5.7-liter V-8 that was built to spec for Icon with a Vortec truck intake and injectors.  (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)

The Icon FJ40 also features part-time four-wheel drive. Drivers can shift on the fly, and the twin stick setup provides individual control of the front and rear axles for extra precision. Meanwhile, the transfer case is an Atlas II two-speed unit, the axles are Dynatrac Dana 60 and Dana 40 setups, and the vehicle has optional locking front and rear differentials.  (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)

Soaking up the bumps is 12 inches of front and rear wheel travel, courtesy of Fox Racing shocks and Eibach springs. Braking duty on our tester is handled by the optional Sport Brake package that uses six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers.  (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)

Inside the FJ, Icon has gone to lengths to replicate the sparse simplicity of original Toyota FJ40s. Only a pair of gauges are visible, denoting speed and RPM on one and fuel level, oil temperature, water temperature and battery voltage on the other.  (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)

Icon sweats the details too. The body is powder coated with a Teflon-polyester mix for a scratch-proof finish. In the engine bay sits a tank of compressed carbon dioxide, the better to refill tires, inflate a sleeping pad or recharge the keg in the event you wander into a tailgating party. The softtop is removable (and, on our tester, insulated) and made from the same heavy-duty canvas that many mainstream manufacturers use as original equipment.  (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)

Street time in the Icon FJ40 shows it’s a vehicle you could leave on the road its entire life and happily use as a daily driver. But that would be like dating Adele and never asking her to sing for you. The real fun is when you let the FJ40 loose in some dirt. To do so, we took it to the Rowher Flat Off-Highway Vehicle area in Newhall. Holy grappling gun, this thing can climb.  (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)

And we were driving with a slight handicap: Our tester was built for a customer in Chicago who needed less suspension travel than typically comes on the FJ40. Also making things interesting was the fact that this vehicle was rolling on BF Goodrich all-terrain tires, which are more like an aggressive shoe than an outright hiking boot. For true off-roading, more appropriate rubber is available.  (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)

But you wouldn’t know of these foibles to ascend in this FJ; a mountain goat with a jet pack couldn’t handle the inclines we mashed our way through. With gobs of torque and the ability to precisely control power to each axle, the Icon made quick work of Rowher Flat’s gnarled and daunting Lookout Trail. Descending was equally enlightening; I’d never been able to use the windshield as a footrest before.  (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)