News Source: autoblog.com

As far as resto-mods go, few turn the trick quite as well as the folks at Icon. We've seen the California outfit do its thing with everything from a Chevy Thriftmaster pickup and Ford Bronco to an electric bicycle and even an Ural Solo motorbike. For its latest project, Icon has worked over another one of the most legendary off-road vehicles of all time: the Land Rover Defender.

Built on commission for a discerning customer as part of Icon's Reformer line, the Icon D90 is based on a 1995 Land Rover Defender 90. But as with everything Icon does, this Land Rover has been extensively reworked.

For starters, the standard diesel engine has been replaced with a General Motors 6.2-liter LS3 small-block V8, modified to perfection by Icon's own mechanics. The aluminum block packs powdered-metal connecting rods, aluminum pistons, investment-cast rocker arms and custom cooling, intake and exhaust systems. It's all mated to a four-speed automatic transmission with a purpose-built CNC-machined Atlas II transfer case.

That more powerful engine has been mounted inside a media-blasted and powder-coated frame and, as Icon is wont to do, the rest of the vehicle has been fitted with some exquisitely overbuilt fixtures. We could go on and on. Suffice it to say that the finished product is every bit as stunning as you'd expect from Icon, and we're sure the customer – who has owned several Defenders before - was left suitably satisfied with the results.