Well known for its restomods of FJs and Broncos, Icon transformed this 1949 Mercury as part of its Derelict series.
The world’s motoring media froth over Icon’s restomodded rigs and for good reason, they’re awesome. But it’s the brand’s sideline in transforming older vehicles and leaving the aged body alone and modernising the guts without ruining the look that we’re digging at the moment.
Launching its Derelict brand to deal with these one-off projects, a quick look around their projects tabs reveals a range of stunners with bigger motors but all-original looks. But it was this 1949 Mercury that jumped out at us.
See, it might look all old-school cool with its patina and mint interior but this thing is hiding the heart of a Tesla. True.
This project was a collaboration between Icon and Stealth EV and saw the old engine binned in favour of dual electric motors (equivalent to about 400hp) and a Tesla Performance 85kWh battery array distributed throughout the vehicle for weight balance. Icon reckons the thing can travel up to 200 miles (320km) on a single charge and full recharge takes 1.5 hours (the fuel filler was converted into a Tesla supercharger plug.
Oozing cool, the “motor” look under the bonnet was crafted by Icon and is nothing more than some of the batteries and the controller system. It is CNC’d aluminium. The thing is also running Brembo brakes and a fully modernised chassis.
The great thing about this build is that there aren’t EV labels plastered all over the thing and the interior has been restored with new upholstery but it’s all period correct. The EV display has been neatly integrated into the original dashboard. It’s gorgeous.
Nothing clumsy about this EV conversion, so, what do you think of Icon’s Derelict 1949 Mercury?
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