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IN CHATSWORTH California, what looks like a parking lot full of rusting cars, is actually home to some of the most original custom-built rides in the world. The vehicles that leave the 'Icon' workshop under the 'Derelict' brand are unique reimagined classics. Dated vehicles in awful conditions are revamped, making them fit for modern day driving. However, the company never restores the shells, giving these vehicles their trademark rough and rusty look. Founder Jonathan Ward told FutureStudiosCars: "Derelict will never repeat the same build twice, each one is a singular high-functioning sculpture." The first ever Derelict build, still owned by Jonathan, is a 1951 DeSoto Wagon mashed up with a Chrysler Town & Country. By combining elements from the two cars, the Derelict DeSoto is completely authentic on the outside, but modern on the inside. Modern A/C units and bluetooth audio connectivity are some of the modern-day features of this one-of-a-kind masterpiece. But why keep the original shell? "I wanted something alternative but imperfect, so that I don't have to worry about it - I don't want to be that guy who is super stressed out about that first scratch," said Jonathan.
Transcript
00:01I wanted something alternative but imperfect we get a lot of grief from
00:08people I don't really care each build is a singular high-functioning sculpture
00:20Chatsworth California this may look like a parking lot full of rusting junk but don't
00:28be fooled by the scruffy shells the vehicles that leave the icon workshop are
00:35unique reimagined classics derelicts will never repeat the same bill twice
00:48each one is a singular high-functioning sculpture but why the unorthodox finish
00:56I wanted something alternative but imperfect so I don't have to worry about it they didn't want
01:02to be that guy who's like super stressed out about the first scratch the bumper rash stuff
01:08like that and this vehicle is an epic two-car mash-up it's technically a Chrysler town in
01:15country but the front hood and grill is a like a condition kind of sort of the same green 52
01:22DeSoto sedan bolted the two together and then I was like yes okay now we're on original car didn't
01:29have AC all the knobs in the switches are still kind of sort of in the original position for the
01:34modern AC controls I could maintain the consistency like same with the gauges I didn't restore them and
01:40make them all pretty everything down to the acrylic and the typeface is authentic but behind the scenes
01:46it's all video circuit board state-of-the-art and then the audio system it's a Bluetooth dependent
01:53digital sound processor interfaced amplified audio system with bass meaning I just control it from my
02:00phone and there's nothing visual that you have to interface with in the vehicle this was a 3,000 hour
02:08build for Jonathan and his team and it comes complete with some quirky touches it's just fun to add a
02:15little bit of tongue-in-cheek have a little sense of humor in these builds with this one I went
02:20to a
02:20really cool old aircraft surplus place and bought some vintage hardware that's used throughout the
02:26vehicle there's a cool before flight release safety pin that I used as the hole down on the air filter
02:33enclosure overflow reservoir for the radiator I scored a 1800s whiskey bottle and then with all of our
02:43vehicles everything has our mascot the icon lizard on fun thing with the derelict says he's never in
02:49the same place and it's always responding to the shape of the car just feels natural like he would
02:55son himself there he's right there up front on the hood Jonathan's company started out as a land cruiser
03:05service center and he wasn't prepared for the impact the desoto build would have on his business we're a
03:11little pinch is Thursday or Monday good for you when I built this wagon it was like a nights and
03:19weekends
03:20personal project but then within like a week or two of finishing it it started getting all sorts of love
03:28and attention the next thing I know it's on the cover of hot rod magazine it won some design awards
03:33and
03:34it was like oh I guess I can keep building these let's call them derelicts and now the icon team
03:40are
03:40producing 10 of these one-off customs a year it starts with generally either a client has an appreciation for
03:47our antics and they come and say I just love the concept what do you want to build that you
03:52haven't built
03:53that or it's hyper specific something that that the client already has a deep emotional relationship
04:03with then I'll get kind of down and dirty with the client to understand a great number of things
04:09including what's their style what materials do you find appealing how obnoxious do you want it to be do
04:16you want it to be fast or do you want it to be stupid fast but despite business booming not
04:22everyone
04:23shares Jonathan's vision we get a lot of grief from people with the derelicts where they think
04:28we're idiots for putting all that time and energy into it but leaving it looking as if it's left in
04:34the barn you know what though I don't really care it's stuff that excites me and the fact that it's
04:42not
04:42for everyone kind of makes it better to me
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