The original shape Land Cruiser remade in the USA

By Isaac Bouchard
Car Middle East Edition 7/07

Mulholland drive in Los Angeles is a famous noir plot device from decades of film and TV. But what hold my attention right now is how devilishly tight and twisty it is, not to mention how sheer the drops are over many of the precipices that border it. Equally captivation is that I’m dispatching the worst of its bumpy, off-cambered challenge in an almost comically competent way from behind the wheel of the TLC Icon.
Based on the classic FJ40 Land Cruiser, this confection of 350hp V8 shoehorned into a ladder frame, and suspended by leaf springs, live axles, and narrow, off road-spec BF Goodrich tires, seems tailor-made to spit me over one of the cliffs.
Yet the Icon actually seems to thrive. Despite lacking anti sway bars, roll is well contained: the cornering stance is near neutral, and the modern brakes are strong. The only thing that betrays the age of the design is the play in the antiquated recirculating-ball steering, limiting my confidence. That’s painfully obvious when company founder Jonathan Ward takes the tiller and proceeds to incinerate the route I’ve just traversed: out cornering Angelinos in their SL500s.
Thanks to the weight distribution, wider track, longer wheelbase, and lower CPG – credit the use of an aluminium body, and careful repositioning of high-mass elements deeper into the frame – the Icon drifts like a champ. This revitalized beast will embarrass more conventional card in the stoplight grand prix. Even the smaller displacement 5.7-liter tested appears good for mid-six second 100kph runs. The crate-motor’s instant throttle response reinforces the raunchy rod nature of the machine.
This surreal amalgam of time-tested off-road indomitability and newfound on-road prowess is the essence of the Icon.  TLC is so respected for its work at restoring classic FJs that Toyota tapped its expertise for the development of the all-new FJ Cruiser. To Ward, the Icon was the obvious next step: a reimagining that would wed cutting edge tech, SoCal hotrod talents, and the simple and proven strengths of the toughest 4x4 ever built.
Fully clothed, the Icon is a work of art: the classic FJ proportions updated with engine-turned instrument surrounds, billet aluminium switchgear, even multi-axis sunvisors sourced from a Lear jet. The finish is exemplary: the custom-built alloy body goes through 100 hours of handwork before being finished in Teflon nanocoating.
TLC starts with an original FJ40 donor frame, which is stripped, magnafluxed, reinforced and upgraded beyond its already heady OEM heritage. The custom exhaust, Baja-rated Atlas transfer case, and Dana Dynatrac axles bespeak its abilities in the wild.
The Icon has multiple appeal: not only does it have the static style of a modern rod, but the prowess to please its owner in a much more diverse manner than most expensive toys. It’s exclusive too, with only 32 made each year.