Jay Leno is obviously a super successful comic and late night show host who also happens to be a car guy of some form of legend. In a recent video, Leno got the opportunity to test drive a car that is a complete surprise to anyone who steps inside. The car looks like a 1948 Buick Super Convertible but has become one of the ICON Derelict line of cars. ICON has become well-known for taking the body structure from some old classic cars and fitting them with new and updated engines and chassis in order to give the best performance these cars have ever had.
The Derelict theme is to take on cars that have not had the body redone and cleaned up, but still has some of the dents, dings, rust and abrasions that are found on the bodies that present when they are discovered. During the visit Leno took the time to go over the entire car and all its inner workings. This 1948 Buick Super Convertible makes a massive amount of horsepower from the LS9 engine that shows up in the Corvette ZR1 giving nearly 700 horsepower. What ICON has done is to find ways to hide all the updated features in order to make the car look and feel as if it was from the era it was built in.
All features, seats, dashboard, gauges, are all created to appear from the time the car was built but give the modern workings. This car even has a rearview camera and an infotainment system that is hidden behind the old front of the radio facing. By having all this taken into account, this Buick has updated workings, awesome power and the ability to enjoy a great ride on any ride.
By having this chassis and engine underneath it’s easy to see from the video how much fun you can have in the car. It’s full of great performance, comes in a great size and allows you to not have to worry about children or other drivers messing up the car, because it already is messed up on its own. The disguise of a Corvette engine and chassis underneath an old Buick make for a marriage of fun and excitement and gives a feeling of a great car to drive. Knowing you can’t ruin the car’s look by wearing it out allows you to run it faster and harder than you would if it was a perfectly restored model.
ICON is working on many old cars that can be restored to have a modern feeling underneath and in the inner working s but offer the look of a barn find car that should not be able to catch anything else on the road, but is highly capable and easily makes driving fun once again. take a look at this video and enjoy the details ICON has put into taking care of this car that truly offers a great ride in a body that looks like it should be heading for the scrapyard soon.
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