Cruiser Control

In 1996, Jonathan Ward established his first company, TLC in Van Nuys, Calif., to cater to the demand for sales, service, and restoration of vintage Toyota Land Cruisers. Nine years later, Ward evolved that initial business plan to incorporate bespoke vehicle commissions, creating the Icon (www.icon4x4.com), a custom vehicle modeled after original Land Cruiser and Jeep designs but capable of meeting demands from customers that the classic configurations could not. "A big part of the Icon brand is revisiting the designs from our collective pasts in a modern context," says Ward. "When we’re able to take more ownership over the design, it gives us more freedom to evolve around the archaic shortcomings of the original configurations."

The latest Icon model, the FJ44, is the first that represents the company’s own design. Ward says that it was built specifically to accommodate growing demand for additional seating and a more practical four-door configuration. By stretching the wheelbase to 119 inches to create the necessary space for those features, Ward and his team also built a vehicle that offers a more comfortable ride than previous Icon models. The FJ44 starts at $125,000, but popular design packages and optional components can drive the price up to $150,000 or $180,000.

While it may be a sizable investment, the FJ44—like all Icon vehicles—offers simplicity, durability, and longevity, three features that Ward believes are missing from most production automobiles these days. In fact, it was the Land Cruiser devotion that Ward witnessed in his travels to the most remote and extreme locales on earth that provided him with the inspiration to create the TLC company 15 years ago. In keeping with that trend, the Land Cruiser–inspired vehicles that Ward is now building to order, which incorporate powder-coated aluminum and other materials sourced from the aircraft and defense markets, are creating a devout group of followers all their own.

Art Illuminated

Six years ago, Danny Pro was given a vintage wooden school desk for his son. Being an automotive enthusiast, Pro immediately painted it black, added flames, and coated the seat in a leopard print. It was then that he thought he wanted to create children’s furniture inspired by cars. But that was only the beginning. Soon, Pro was creating what he calls "illuminated sculptures"—essentially 5-foot-tall sconces resembling specific automobiles—and just like that, his company Misjif Motors (www.misjif.com) was born.

Handmade from a variety of materials including mahogany plywood, 22-gauge steel, and carbon fiber, and created mostly on a commissioned basis, Pro’s pieces are designed to tap into the intimate details that attracted the owner to a car. "People are so particular with the cars that they fell in love with," he says. "When you talk to them you get into the grits of it. That exclusivity is important to me."

Weighing about 90 pounds, Pro’s automotive art is massive. Each one takes between two and two and a half months to make and starts at $15,000. When he can, Pro also brings in authentic materials from the cars, including badges and other accents, and he always builds his pieces in the same way each car was—or is—made. "For me, it’s the art of the automobile and the way the body flows," he says. "When you build it by hand, you discover the curves. With art, you have to have that."