Words: Rory FH Smith
California-based retro vehicle specialists, Icon have conjured up initial drawings of a machine they hope will spice up electric vehicle design. Called the Icon Helios, the radical concept harks back to the golden age of streamliners and 1930s aircraft but is based on a pure electric drivetrain from Elon Musk’s pioneering electric car firm Tesla.
The styling
The brainchild of Icon CEO and chief designer Jonathan Ward, the Helios is named after the Greek god of the sun, who piloted a chariot across the heavens – so it’s certainly got a fair amount to live up to. The “audacious, large, five seat passenger car,” as Ward describes it was inspired by the aluminum and exposed copper rivet engineering seen on 1930s flying machines like the Douglas DC-1.
The performance
Revealed to an audience in Oregon, Ward hinted the Helios would be based on either Tesla’s Model S or forthcoming Model X platform, which indicates at a range of over 300miles and 0-62mph within five seconds. Strictly at the blueprint stage, the task of making the Helios a head turning reality is dependent on finding “the right client to commission it” says Ward.
What is Icon?
Icon are best known for “resto-mods” says Ward. Starting off serving Toyota Land Cruisers in 1996, Ward has since made his name redeveloping and modifying iconic classics such as the 1972 Ford Bronco and 1960s Toyota Land Cruisers. The Helios, however, is an entirely new direction for the company and one that Ward assures will be built “one way or another.”
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