Yahoo Autos Icon 1970 Ford F100 Review | Better than it ever was
THERMAL, Calif. - Usually, we drive Icon’s latest creations on the roads, freeways and trails near its Chatsworth, Calif., headquarters. And company founder and chief designer Jonathan Ward is usually along for the ride. This time, however, things went differently. This time, it was the truck’s new owner calling the shots.
His freshly Icon-built 1970 Ford F100 was at the Thermal Club, a motorsports country club and community east of Palm Springs. One of the finest facilities of its kind in the country, Thermal is billed as an all-inclusive private destination for the distinguished motorsports enthusiast. The truck’s new owner is a member and keeps many cars on the grounds, including dedicated track cars, which he enjoys on its three racetracks.
When we arrive, the 50-year old 4x4 pickup is sitting in the hot sun, towering over a few Porsches and other assorted sports cars. It’s toasty out here, 111 degrees, but it’s a dry heat.
A Full One-Off Build
Icon is best known for its big-buck customized first-gen Ford Broncos, but pickups are also a significant part of its business. Its Icon TR line of LS-powered 1947-1953 Chevy Thriftmaster pickups has proven popular.
“I stumbled into this truck, and fell in love,” Ward says of the 1970 shortbed Ford he had found on Craigslist. “I posted it on Instagram, and the client immediately reached out and commissioned the build. Originally, it was going to be a Derelict build, but he changed his mind and decided to go Reformer.”
Icon’s Reformer projects are custom one-offs. Classics of any type are restored inside and out to better-than-new condition and are updated mechanically for improved performance, comfort and reliability. They’re basically restomods. “We tailor the mechanical experience to our client's personality and use,” says Icon’s website.
So far the company has built more than a dozen, including several pickups: two Dodge D200 Power Wagons from the mid-1960s and a 1965 Ford F-250 crew cab 4x4, which is still one of Ward's favorites. Ward will basically build anything a customer wants. Just bring your checkbook and your patience.
Each is completely hand-assembled and reengineered at the company's 75,000 square foot facility in Chatsworth. How many man-hours are needed to create to build such a truck? “Dang, just internally, over 2,400 hours,” says Ward. “Then add our sublet labor, including upholstery, paint, metalwork, fab, axles, etc. and it’s probably reasonable to say about 4,000 man-hours.”
Icon Broncos require about 750 man-hours of labor and run $185,000 to $295,000. “These one-off projects cost considerably more,” says Ward. “All of the design and engineering that we are able to amortize in a production scenario needs to be accounted for on this single project.” In other words, this has got to be the most expensive 1970 Ford F100 Ranger pickup in the world. It probably cost its owner close to half a million dollars.
Mustang 5.0
“What we’re doing is rewriting history to a certain extent by creating a bespoke truck that can serve as a daily driver with timeless style, modern engineering, and none of the sacrifices commonly associated with conventional restorations,” says Ward.
Opening the hood reveals a Ford 5.0-liter Coyote DOHC V-8 with 426 horsepower and more than 400 lb-ft of torque. It’s bolted to a four-speed Ford AOD automatic and a twin-stick Advance Adaptors Atlas II transfer case.
It’s the same combination Icon uses in its Broncos, and the installation couldn’t be cleaner. We also notice the larger aluminum radiator, two large electric fans, headers, power steering and a custom airbox. A fuel pressure regulator is mounted to the firewall next to a Wilwood master cylinder for the hydro-boosted brake system, which also includes huge Brembo discs and massive red calipers, six-piston units up front and four-piston in the rear.
Just as they do in Icon’s Broncos, those big brakes dictate big wheels. The Ranger rolls on a set of 18-inch forged-aluminum wheels that mimic the look of the factory steel units right down to their vintage hubcaps. They wear beefy BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A K02 tires sized 285/65.
Before we climb up into Ford’s cab, we notice a splattering of bugs on the leading edge of its hood and front bumper. Someone drove the pickup to Thermal, more than 200 miles from the owner's home in Santa Barbara. The paintwork is pristine and Icon has perfected its gaps and the smoothness of its large panels. The truck’s doors open and close with a click, like a 1980s Porsche 911. Ford didn’t build them this well back in 1970.
Most of the factory trim remains. The only additions are custom Icon Custom badges, affixed to its bedsides (the stock badge said Sport Custom). The truck also wears its original blue California license plates and factory colors, a tasteful combination of Wimbledon white and Tampico yellow.
