The 2011 Icon Bronco
“But The Ticket, Take The Ride” ~H.S. Thompson
“It was a full-bore Lamborghini hot rod, a monstrous thing that weighed over 5,000 pounds with bulletproof glass and twelve cylinders with a top speed of 125 miles per hour and a .50-caliber-machine-gun behind the driver’s seat..."
That is the way Hunter S. Thompson describes the Jeep he found himself behind the wheel of in 1976, as he blazed through the world. In 1976 that “hot rod” cost him $150,000. Being a lover of fast and furious automobiles, Thompson would no doubt be intrigued by Icon’s new design, the Icon Bronco. The price tag of this new Bronco is comparable to what Thompson’s cost him in the 70’s; a steal given it‘s over thirty years later. Perhaps it doesn’t have the bullet proof glass or the machine gun that Thompson’s had, but it’s probably fair to say that few of us need that kind of armor in this world. However, what is does have entirely makes up for it.
The Icon Bronco carries a Ford-sourced Coyote 5.oL V8 (currently found in the new Mustang GT) cranking out 412 hp, an Aisin Warner five-speed manual transmission, an Atlas II four-wheel drive transfer case, Stoptech brakes, Eibach coils, and Fox Racing shocks. This bad boy also has all-LED lighting (inside and out), keyless ignition, stainless steel trim elements, and the stunning Volcanic black powder coat exterior. No airbags, but more awesome than you can handle.
It has been seen rumbling into garages such as Jay Leno’s in LA. Where Leno jokes that the only off roading anyone plans on doing in LA is when they plan on getting a DUI. This Bronco would be in much better hands with an owner who intends to use it as it was meant to be used: in the back country terrains of exotic and remote locations. Or as a lovely accessory at the summer or vacation home where terrains are unexplored and vast; a luxury among luxuries.
Without a doubt the Icon Bronco is going to take you not necessarily where you need to go, but rather where you want to go. Dare I say…where no man has gone before. Well, it’s the truth. And that’s what it was designed for, for the durable and adventurous spirit. The kind of person whose curiosity can only be cured by doing. Whose desire to explore is bigger than the mini-van in the driveway. So, get in…buckle up…and bare down. Or in Thompson’s words, “Buy the ticket, take the ride.
