By Aaron Robinson

Car & Driver 2/06

Toyota’s 2007 FJ Cruiser may stir memories of the original Japanese Jeep (see page 48), but those with deeper pockets and a taste for something more authentic will want to check out the Icon. It’s basically an $88,000 scale model for the original FJ40 Land Cruiser imported in the ‘60s and ‘70s.  The body, the engine, the driveline, the wiring, the seats, the suspension, and the steering are new, but the look is pure vintage. Built by TLC, a Land Cruiser restoration and customizing shop in Van Nuys, California, a firm that was started in 1996 by Jonathan Ward.  The Icon uses only the frame from an original Cruiser (bring your own and save $4,000.00). It’s powder-coated and reinforced to accept your choice of a 2.8-leter Iveco turbo-diesel making 195 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque or a fuel-injected 350-hp, 5.7-liter small block Chevy crate motor with a torque number of 400. The Icon’s all-aluminum body gives this V-8 ute a 3750-pound curb weight and is stamped by Aqualu Industries in Canada, which also makes aluminum pontoon boats, should you be in the area. You can choose between the “Old School” package with original-looking steel bumpers, steel wheels, and vinyl seats or “New School” with reinforced bumpers, alloy wheels, and leather buckets. Options include a killer stereo, heated seats, and locker diffs, although TLC has offered everything from dog cages to custom surfboard racks for customers. TLC plans to build just 20 Icons in 2006 with the first delivery due in May.