Jonathan Ward of Icon 4x4 is the Dr. Frankenstein of off-road vehicles, a guy who has made a nice life out of finding old Toyota FJs and Land Cruisers and then rebuilding them into something that you can not only drive off-road again but even drive every day as transportation. And now he has turned his attention to another legendary off-road vehicle, the Willys CJ3.
With the Icon CJ3B, Ward and his engineering team have attempted to create the world's most perfect CJ3. Few of the bits actually come from a CJ3, and yet the final product has the same purity of purpose that still makes people remember the flat-fender Willys with admiration.
The vehicle begins with Icon's own ladder-frame chassis with coil-over suspension units. Power comes from the turbocharged 2.4-liter Ecotec inline-4 from General Motors, while a 5-speed Aisin-Warner transmission and New Process 231 transfer case send power to modified axles from a Jeep Rubicon. The standard CJ3B features 31-inch tires and there's a 33-inch option.
Prepared for presentation at SEMA, the Icon CJ3B will begin with a batch of ten vehicles built from Willys components, so the vehicles will retain original title and registration. The GM engine retains its certification from use in the 2009 Chevrolet HHR, so Icon promises street-legal emissions.
The Icon CJ3B is expected to be priced at $50,000 for a turn-key vehicle, while various kits will be available for between $15,000 and $27,000.
firstwagon says:
12:06 PM, 10/23/09
I don't think I would have chosen that engine. Keeping a turbo in the boost while rock crawling or trail running is annoying and out of the boost it will likely be short on torque.
A small diesel would be perfect, maybe a call to VW for a 2.0 TDI would be in order.
The 3.8 V6 from the Wrangler would be a good choice too. A lot of people whine about it but it has a wide torque curve, good power, it's compact and very durable. It's been around so long it's cheap to make too. In a light Jeep it would do great.
tidester says:
12:57 PM, 10/23/09
Frankenstein? I'd think that anyone who's into serious offroading would be less concerned with appearance than with performance. :)
firstwagon says:
01:10 PM, 10/23/09
I assumed he meant Frankenstein as in made from "borrowed" parts as the original Frankenstein monster was.
I think it looks really cool, not ugly at all.
cruiserhead1 says:
02:01 PM, 10/23/09
Pretty cool. I like the round, LED headlights and rectangular, VisionX LED offroad lights.
The Icon FJ vehicles are more impressive but I think they are more money than this Willys.