00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 I wanted something alternative, but imperfect.
00:06 We get a lot of grief from people.
00:08 I don't really care.
00:09 Each build is a singular, high-functioning sculpture.
00:14 Chatsworth, California.
00:22 This may look like a parking lot full of rusting junk,
00:28 but don't be fooled by the scruffy shells.
00:30 The vehicles that lead the Icon Workshop
00:34 are unique reimagined classics.
00:37 Derelicts will never repeat the same build twice.
00:44 Each one is a singular, high-functioning sculpture.
00:54 But why the unorthodox finish?
00:57 I wanted something alternative, but imperfect,
01:00 so I didn't have to worry about it.
01:02 I didn't want to be that guy who's super stressed out
01:05 about the first scratch, the bumper rash, stuff like that.
01:09 And this vehicle is an epic two-car mashup.
01:13 It's technically a Chrysler Town & Country,
01:15 but the front hood and grill is a like-condition,
01:19 kinda, sorta, the same green '52 DeSoto sedan.
01:23 Bolted the two together, and then I was like,
01:25 "Yes, okay, now we're on."
01:27 Original car didn't have AC.
01:30 All the knobs in the switches are still kinda,
01:32 sorta, in the original position.
01:34 For the modern AC controls,
01:36 I could maintain the consistency.
01:38 Like, same with the gauges.
01:39 I didn't restore 'em and make 'em all pretty.
01:41 Everything down to the acrylic
01:43 and the typeface is authentic.
01:44 But behind the scenes,
01:46 it's all video circuit board, state-of-the-art.
01:49 And then the audio system,
01:51 it's a Bluetooth-dependent
01:53 digital sound processor-interfaced
01:55 amplified audio system with bass,
01:58 meaning I just control it from my phone,
02:01 and there's nothing visual
02:02 that you have to interface with in the vehicle.
02:05 This was a 3,000-hour build for Jonathan and his team,
02:10 and it comes complete with some quirky touches.
02:14 It's just fun to add a little bit of tongue-in-cheek,
02:16 have a little sense of humor in these builds.
02:18 With this one, I went to a really cool old
02:21 aircraft surplus place and bought some vintage hardware
02:24 that's used throughout the vehicle.
02:26 There's a cool before-flight release safety pin
02:30 that I used as the hold-down on the air filter enclosure.
02:34 Overflow reservoir for the radiator.
02:37 I scored a 1800s whiskey bottle.
02:41 And then with all of our vehicles,
02:43 everything has our mascot, the icon lizard, on 'em.
02:47 Fun thing with the derelicts is
02:48 he's never in the same place,
02:50 and it's always responding to the shape of the car.
02:53 Just feels natural, like he would sun himself there.
02:57 He's right there up front on the hood.
02:59 Jonathan's company started out
03:03 as a land cruiser service center,
03:06 and he wasn't prepared for the impact
03:08 the DeSoto build would have on his business.
03:11 We're a little pinched.
03:12 Is Thursday or Monday good for you?
03:16 When I built this wagon,
03:18 it was like a nights and weekends personal project.
03:22 But then within like a week or two of finishing it,
03:25 it started getting all sorts of love and attention.
03:28 And next thing I know, it's on the cover of Hot Rod magazine.
03:32 It won some design awards, and I was like,
03:34 "Oh, I guess I can keep building these.
03:36 Let's call 'em derelicts."
03:38 And now the Icon team are producing
03:41 10 of these one-off customs a year.
03:43 It starts with generally,
03:45 either a client has an appreciation for our antics,
03:48 and they come and say, "I just love the concept.
03:51 What do you want to build that you haven't built yet?"
03:54 Or it's hyper-specific.
03:57 Something that the client already
04:00 has a deep emotional relationship with.
04:04 Then I'll get kind of down and dirty with the client
04:07 to understand a great number of things,
04:09 including what's their style?
04:11 What materials do you find appealing?
04:14 How obnoxious do you want it to be?
04:16 Do you want it to be fast,
04:17 or do you want it to be stupid fast?
04:20 But despite business booming,
04:22 not everyone shares Jonathan's vision.
04:24 We get a lot of grief from people with the derelicts
04:27 where they think we're idiots
04:29 for putting all that time and energy into it,
04:31 but leaving it looking as if it's left in the barn.
04:34 You know what, though?
04:37 I don't really care.
04:39 It's stuff that excites me.
04:41 And the fact that it's not for everyone
04:44 kind of makes it better to me.
04:46 (upbeat music)
04:48 (whooshing)
04:51 (dramatic music)
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