Icon Chevy C20 Is a Brand New Silverado Underneath Its Vintage Skin
Icon Vehicles’ latest build is about as close to a brand new Chevy C20 pickup as one can get, thanks to its Silverado base.
Icon Vehicles has been churning out some of the finest restomods on the planet for quite a few years now, and it hasn’t lot a bit of steam over that time period. Rather, Icon continues to impress by upping its game on a regular basis, retaining the vintage appeal of old vehicles while blessing them with modern mechanicals and amenities. The latest Icon creation is no exception to that rule – this 1972 Chevy C20 pickup – which looks like any regular old, weathered hauler on the outside, but that is far from the case under its vintage skin.
Recently, the folks at Hagerty were able to spend some time mulling over Icon’s Chevy C20 build, and even take it for a spin. It’s a bit of a revelation for the company’s “Derelict” builds, which have – to date – used a custom chassis – but in this case, Icon wanted to incorporate that older truck’s bodywork with a new Silverado frame, suspension, drivetrain, powertrain, and braking system. One might assume that such a task could prove challenging, but apparently, that wasn’t really the case at all.
Turns out, these body-on-frame trucks are more compatible that one might think. “The crazy thing is, the American pickup truck from the mid ‘60s, till now, they’re the same basic footprint,” said Icon founder, Jonathan Ward. “The American truck is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of that [architecture].” The resulting combination is even 200 pounds lighter than the original C20, thanks to the aluminum block and heads on the donated 5.3-liter V8, which sends 355 horsepower to the wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox – and it even returns 21-22 mpg on the highway, to boot.
All of the factory electronics are intact, which means that the owner can visit a Chevy dealership for diagnostics, and even receive factory updates. “We’re not trying to make it something that it’s not,” Ward said. “We’re really focused on serviceability, drivability, functionality, and under-the-radar on the aesthetic.” Given the fact that Icon works with lower trims, it’s pretty cost effective as well. “We stick with LT or WT Silverados,” Ward noted, “because if you get past those packages, it’s trying to be a Tesla, and you’ve got a big-ass screen.”
Overall, it took around 18 months to develop this particular Chevy C20, much of which was simply related to sorting out electronics. Since then, Icon has taken plenty of orders for similar builds – not only based on this generation of pickup, but also, Suburban SUVs as well. Obviously, such machines won’t be cheap, but it’s easy to see the appeal of driving what is essentially a vintage Bow Tie hauler with all of the benefits a brand new Silverado has to offer.
Photos: Icon Vehicles
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