Icon Toyota FJ43 Bandeirante
Between 1968 and 2001, Toyota produced a version of the Land Cruiser called the Bandeirante in Brazil exclusively for the Brazilian market. Icon co-founder Jonathan Ward was given permission to import Bandeirante bodies and parts from the Brazilan factory to the US, leading to the FJ43 pictured here, the only one built by Icon for the public. The SUV is built on a stretched 1965 FJ40 chassis with a slew of Icon upgrades: FJ40 axles, upgraded brake calipers and rotors, taller gears, and a GM Ram Jet 5.7-liter V8 mated to a Toyota five-speed transmission. Inside is a modified 1983 FJ40 dash with a sheet metal insert, similar to the rare US-spec variant, custom gauges, vintage HVAC, and seats upholstered in leather heat laminated to carbon fiber sheet underneath, that have held up well over the two decades since the build was completed. Ward recently reaquired the truck when the original owner decided to downsize his collection.