On the latest episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, Jonathan Ward, CEO of ICON, is back in the garage this week and he’s along brought our favorite ‘Derelict’ vehicle to date, a 1948 Buick Super Convertible.
If you want an insanely fast car but you don’t like the idea of babying a new Z/28 or a classic Camaro, ICON’s derelict’ vehicles–like the ’52 Desoto previously seen on JLG– are your answer. The company takes an old, original vehicle with lots of patina (usually one between 1934-1953) and completely overhauls the car with modern running gear and a massive engine.
The best part? The exterior body panels are left untouched and ICON does its best to hide all the modifications. In essence, ‘Derelict’ vehicles are the ultimate sleepers.
This ’48 convertible follows the trend to a tee. Underneath the side-lift hood lies the full-fat, supercharged LS9 from a C6 ZR1 kicking out nearly 700h through a heavy-duty 4L85–E four-speed automatic.
With horsepower to rival a Challenger Hellcat, the badass looks of ’48 Buick convertible, modern suspension, brakes, and even a touch-screen display cleverly hidden behind a faux centre-stack, there’s no doubt ICON has cooked-up an incredibly clever and desirable package.
Check out how it all comes together below, then let us which classic you would like to see get the ‘Derelict’ treatment.
Comments
How about a hybrid derelict using wrecked Volt and Spark parts? There’s probably room for both batteries in some cars.
At first sight it looked like the first Holden built in ’48 till I read the heading,