Icon 4x4 creates the Old School BR, a Ford Bronco made better

Southern California automotive confectionery house Icon 4x4 has a new sweet treat. After making a name producing aerospace-grade restomods of everything from the old Toyota Land Cruiser to the Derelict, founder Jonathan Ward wanted to veer more toward the naked classic. The Old School BR, a heavily updated yet restrained take on the 1966-67 Ford Bronco, opens the door to Icon's new line of Old School vehicles.

Icon introduced its Icon BR Bronco in 2011, developed with the help of second-gen Ford GT designer Camilo Pardo and Nike — yes, the shoe company. That truck revamped every aspect of the original Bronco, and it looked like it, with a CNC'd grille, architectural glass, sun visors from a Learjet, and matte or eggshell finish. The Old School BR, conversely, retains the exterior look of the original. It serves buyers who are more taken with the period feel of the Sixties open-top, and who don't want to be questioned at every gas station and stoplight about their awesome ride.

The Old School BR starts with a custom steel Art Morrison chassis connected to a custom Dynatrac axles by a Fox Racing suspension with 12 inches of travel. Billet aluminum four-slot 18-inch wheels on 33-inch BFGoodrich tires have been machined to accept original Bronco hubcaps, and hide custom Brembo brakes with six-pot calipers in front, four-pot calipers in back. Power comes from a 5.0-liter Ford Coyote V8 with 426-horsepower, running through a stainless steel Borla exhaust. Transmission choices are either an Aisin five-speed manual or a Ford four-speed automatic with overdrive. An Atlas II transfer case with a choice of six low-range gear options dispatches off-road obstacles.

The interior's been redone in adherence to Icon's "No Plastic" ethos. The stock-looking dash is an original Icon design, vents and knobs are billet aluminum or stainless steel. The first-gen Ford Mustang steering wheel sits at the end of a tiltable column, ahead of Dakota Digital analog gauges. Manual-look cranks control power windows. Because the truck offers a full-length bikini top to go with the hardtop, seats are finished in aircraft-rated, leather-look vinyl. Scads of Dynamat sound-deadening keep the underlying mechanicals from making themselves heard in the cabin, all the better to hear the Kenwood head unit with Arc Audi amplifier and Focal speakers.

A stock, fully restored Bronco body covers those internals. Ward said he studied the Sport, Explorer, and Ranger trims offered on the original SUV, choosing the best elements from each. He licensed reproduction OE grilles and bumpers, and put LED lights behind stock-looking lenses. He redesigned the spare tire carrier with a cam release and a 90-degree locking stop. On the side, an "Icon" badge matches the font used for the old Bronco. While the exterior color is up to the buyer, naturally, Ward said he'll guide buyers to period-correct hues. And unlike on the 2011 Icon BR, the Old School BR gets gloss paint — no matte or eggshell allowed.

Ward says the Old School BR has "much shorter leads times compared to existing BRs." If you've got $195,000 plus options to throw down, you can have it in as little as six months.