Icon’s 1970 Suburban is a 1000-hp highway hauler

Icon is one of the best-known restomod outfits in the business, respected for its line of completely rebuilt and modified Ford Broncos, early Toyota Land Cruisers, and Chevrolet Thriftmaster pickups. We especially respect that the Los Angeles-based company is willing to step outside of its comfort zone, especially lately, when a customer has a specific goal in mind. This 1970 Suburban was commissioned by a repeat customer, and Icon’s owner, Jonathan Ward, welcomed the challenges it brought, “Every time I build something for him, he always pushes me into some new territory. Now I’ve learned to kind of celebrate it,’ said Ward.

The owner wanted a powerful cruiser that could comfortably fit four people, along with plenty of luggage. A Suburban was the perfect starting point.

His list of requirements was short. It needed to be dark, a bit moody, and have a four-wheel independent suspension. It had to be as low as it could practically be, and it also needed to have 1000 hp (of course). Aside from that Ward and the crew at Icon could posit suggestions and that’s how the final product came to be. Ward took inspiration from architect and designer Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, whose modernist designs were clean, elegant, and uncluttered.

Ward wanted to turn some of the most obvious aspects of the Chevy’s cost cutting and mass production and transform them into works of craftsmanship. The flimsy grille insert, for example, was discarded and a replacement was designed and milled from billet aluminum. The new piece is ornate but only just, and in an industrial-precise way that van der Rohe was also fond of. The architect is known for adding bit of such flair to his designs that elevate expanses of glass and steel.

The Suburban was rather clean to start, with the exception of the rear liftgate which Ward described as looking like Swiss cheese. A donor Suburban gave its pristine liftgate to save a lot of fabrication time in duplicating the holey hatch. Despite having decent floorboards, the original steel was removed for custom pieces that better fit the Art Morrison chassis and included sizable wheel wells to cover the 335-mm-wide rear tires.

We went with Ward on a quick drive through parts of Los Angeles and Simi Valley. The steering on the brute is quick but not over-boosted, so it takes effort to quickly shuttle the big wagon through canyon roads. It’s obviously not a Miata, in fact, you could probably park an NA behind the second row of seats, although its handling prowess is surprising. You’re always aware it’s a big, heavy vehicle, it’s just that it’s far more nimble than you’d expect. Credit the well-tuned Art Morrison chassis and some sticky Pirelli P-Zero rubber, with 275/35R20 tires up front and steamroller 335/30R20s out back. As fun as the truck may be to hustle through a curvy road, Icon doesn’t pretend that this machine is intended to carve canyons. The goal was Grand Touring more than Pro Touring; this Suburban delivers enough room for four people to enjoy a long road trip and enough power to haul any cargo with ease.

Pop the Suburban’s hood and you’re treated to a stunning sight: a Nelson Racing Engines 427 with a billet intake manifold and a pair of mirror-image turbos. This is one of the company’s “mild” twin-turbo setups that produced about half of what a similar twin-turbo is capable of, which means it’s churning out just over 1000 hp. Cruising on the highway you’d never know that there’s that much power on tap. (The throttle spring is noticeably heavier than in most other vehicles, so that does serve as a bit of a warning that you might want to be careful.) With 427 cubic inches at the ready, there’s plenty of torque even just off idle. Crack the throttle just a bit and the turbos are eager to build boost. Ward opened the engine up just a bit on the highway and we savored the strong acceleration that only seemed to build in intensity.

Because its turbo engine is so mild-mannered when it’s not making boost, Icon’s ’70 Suburban is a total sleeper. It could easily convince an unsuspecting passenger that there’s nothing special under the hood. Aside from the twin turbos that help lower the volume, the 427 LS V-8 wears big mufflers that give it a deep, low rumble. Even when accelerating onto a highway, the exhaust note from the V-8 is assertive, rather than simply loud. Lifting off the throttle at speed results in some noticeable blow-off valve noise, but the cabin of the Suburban is properly insulated. “He wanted it to scare small children when appropriate,” Ward joked, stressing that he had to keep the neighbors from showing up with pitchforks.

Aside from being built in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, another holdup in the build was the construction of an additional door on the driver’s side to match the rear door on the passenger side. An extra driver-side front door was used as a starting point, and now the body is symmetrical and there’s easy access to the rear seats from either side.

If you’d like an up-close look at this Bauhaus brute, it will be on display, along with other hand-crafted vehicles and products at the Icons of Designs event, being held at Hagerty’s Garage + Social in Van Nuys, California on November 19. Tickets are available now and proceeds benefit GO Campaign.

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