TLC transforms the classic FJ Cruiser shape into an icon of its own
By Gregory Anderson
The Robb Report Collection June 2006


Jonathan Ward guns the throttle of his TLC Icon, provoking a raspy , rude note from the 4x4’s throaty exhaust. BLAAAAAAAaaaaat!  He shifts to second gear, and the bellowing sound is nearly overwhelmed – but not quite – by the wind rushing through the open cabin.  “Some of our clients prefer to keep a low profile so we also offer a quieter exhaust,”  Ward says. “But others get in, and it’s yee-haw!” The Icon moves to the rumble of 350 hp and 400 ft lbs of torque developed by its 5.7-liter V-8, Fat, knobby tires grip the pavement with an easy, athletic grace as the Icon scrabbles over hot tarmac with the ease of the reptile on its grille.
The Icon is something different for Ward’s company, TLC, which normally specializes in the frame-up restoration of all years and varieties of Land Cruisers. “We saw the FJ as a platform that we could expand upon and do so much more with,” Ward explains.  “There’s a vintage aesthetic, but he customer still wants modern drivability.  They don’t want to ever have to deal with a choke cable, rare parts, drum brakes, or short gearing.  Original Cruisers, though capable, were never built to address modern use.  As they age, their designs are becoming more and more archaic.”
The company first came to Toyota’s notice when it built a series of trucks for the Universal film Dante’s Peak, and the Van Nuys, Calif., company has been working with Toyota since 2000, when the Japanese manufacturer began planning what would become the new FJ Cruiser. TLC built the first three driving prototypes and is working on show-car concept variations (read: a convertible), as well as aftermarket products.
With the Icon, TLC has made its first original production care.  Although the vehicle may look familiar – its design is based on the classic Toyota FJ Land Cruiser of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s – the Icon is not in fact a Toyota, but rather a product of Ward’s won creation.  “Icon embodies how we look at the truck,” he says. “We want to be clear that we’re not trying to replicate the Land Cruiser.  Our primary business is caring for them, restoring them, and reengineering them. The Icon is something else. We really wanted to design to stand on its own.”  He also stresses that TLC’s experience building one-off  show cars for Toyota is applied directly to the Icon.  “What we’ve tried to do is create a prototype that you can take home,” he says. “And they’re handbuilt by dedicated craftsmen from start to finish.”
They only FJ component incorporated in the Icon’s design is the frame, which Ward used to maintain the FJ’s classic form, size, and relative scale. The Icon rides on a 3.5 –inch-longer wheelbase and the body itself is 7 inches longer than the original: this not only enhances ride quality but also provides the space for the rear leaf spring suspension from a 1990 Land Cruiser, Weight distribution, Ward explains, is key. “ The original was nose-heavy but light in the rear.  The gas tank was like a bomb under the passenger’s seat, so we changed the entire floor design in order to move the gas tank to a safer location, where it’s boxed by the frame and protected.”
Relocating the gas tank also created a flat floor, allowing both front seats to slide fore and aft, and to recline. Lower seat height improves outward visibility when compared to the old FJ. Though a nostalgic touch, the ubiquitous rear-facing jump seats did not make it into the Icon. “From a safety angle,” says Ward, “they’re a disaster,” All passengers have three-point belts, and the forward-facing rear bench seat-which is large enough for adults-tucks and tumbles forward for quick storage.
Toyota supplies the Icon’s steel hood, but TLC forms all of the high-grade aluminum body panels itself. A Teflon-polyester hybrid powder coat-both rugged and durable –covers the body and provides a hard-to-scratch finish ideal for off-road use.  There is an optional aluminum hardtop, dows dating back to vintage trucks of the 1950s and ‘60s.
TLC centered the rear differential, which is based on a Dana 60 design. The one-ton class rear axle is built for far heavier duty that the Icon will ever see, and the front axle is a Dana 44.  There are vented and slotted disc brakes on all four wheels, but no traction control or antilock braking system because neither is very useful off-road.
The top-of-the-line fuel-injected engine comes from General Motors, and an available turbo-diesel variant will average around 30 mpg. Ward will soon unveil a gas electric hybrid engine-sans for wheel-drive-as an environmentally friendly beach runabout.
The transmission is commonly found in UPS trucks, while the transfer case can also be found in everything form rock-crawling trucks to freeway fliers to off-road Baja racers. It can shift-on-the-fly up to 55 mph, and twin-stick controls provide power to the front and rear axles independently. Combined with the locking differential option, the Icon offers unparalleled torque control off road. Aggressive gearing makes the Icon perfect for scaling a rock quarry, but even at 70 mph, it will ham along at 2,200 rpm. “We were really careful to make it more than just a trail truck,” Ward says. “The customer base for this has a house in Maui, the Outer Banks, or the Hamptons.”
The Icon can be has in either New School or Old School trim, each with nearly infinite customization. “No two trucks will be exactly the same.” Say Ward. “One we’re building has a roof rack with a rear ladder so our client can use it as a shooting canopy for photography.”
New School (pictured on previous pages) ash an industrial, tooled look and feel. It integrates the spare tire carrier and the jerry can into the bumper. The steel rear bumper, which hold a Class II receiver and improves on the old FJ’s already-steep departure angle, features an inner and outer bearing sourced from the front axle spindles of Toyota trucks. “You can shake the entire truck from the carrier without any give at the pivot points,” Ward says, reinforcing his words by hopping up and down on the rear bumper.  New School also includes Teflon-coated wheels, a bull bar in the front, and machined aluminum dash panels, like those in the Bugatti Veyron. Old School meanwhile, indulges in retro, wearing traditional Land Cruiser front silver bumper and rear bumperettes, vintage wheels and hubcaps, and standard textiles and dash finishes.
According to Ward, TLC developed in Icon without regard to cost. “We made the decision early on that we’re going to just build it right,” he says, “and then we’re going to see how much it costs when we’re done.” Only 20 examples of the Icon will be built, most priced between $88,000 and $108,000.00



THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES
The Icon’s reptilian grille ornament has become something of a corporate mascot for TLC. “He was part of a discarded fireplace screen that had been rusting away in a garage with one of the first Land Cruisers I ever bought, over 20 years ago.” Ward says. The lizard caught his eye, so he removed it from the fireplace, bolted it to his own truck, and “he’s been with me ever since.”
When you drive off road in a Cruiser-even just a stock Cruiser.” Ward explains, “slowly but surely the herd thins out, and you get to a point where the only thing you can see anymore are either other Land Cruisers or California blue-belly lizards.”