This 1970 Chevy Suburban Costs More Than Most Supercars

Chris Teague
by Chris Teague

Icon’s vehicles have never been cheap, but its latest vehicle goes above and beyond. The company has long offered custom resto-modded SUVs with deep-six-figure price tags, and it’s now set its sights on the Chevy Suburban. Called the Reformer, the updated, hand-built SUV sports 1,000 horsepower and a $1.1 million starting price.


That’s a shocking number, but this is a one-of-one vehicle commissioned by a well-heeled Icon customer. Company CEO Jonathon Ward said. “This client wanted us to stretch creatively, which resulted in more aggressive performance and styling than we typically opt for.”

Icon will reveal the wild 1970 Suburban in the flesh on November 19th at a charity event in Southern California. The SUV started as a bone-stock factory three-door and got an NRE twin-turbo Alien LS 427 motor making 1,000 horsepower and 900 pound-feet of torque. Icon said it aimed for reliability with the setup, noting that the driver can idle with the AC on in traffic at 900 rpm.


Icon employed a custom four-wheel independent chassis for the build, and power reaches the wheels through a 4L85 automatic transmission. Brembo brakes, HRE custom wheels, and performance tires keep the SUV on the road and stopping safely. Interior touches include several hand-made bespoke touches, and Icon said it went over every button, knob, and dial as part of the project.

[Image: Icon]


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Chris Teague
Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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  • Carson D Carson D on Nov 10, 2023

    I don't have a million dollars extra to put into a custom truck, so I suppose my opinion doesn't really matter. That thing looks like twenty-five thousand dollars poorly spent to me anyway.

  • Abraham Abraham on Nov 11, 2023
    1. Sits kinda low.
    2. Bumpers are just wrong, they should have jazzed those up and integrated them into the body a little.
    3. 1.1 million dollars? Okay…
  • Kwik_Shift_Pro4X I'd rather see a Mazda 6 wagon.
  • Arthur Dailey The saying is 'you get the union that you deserve'. When workers regard their senior executives as incompetent, when managers and executives receive bonuses regardless of their performance or lack thereof, they will naturally be resentful.When management views workers as 'the problem' then naturally workers will push back.Many Southern politicians are vehemently anti-union and make their feelings widely known. This does have some influence on their constituents. Migration to the US south is often due to lower living costs, some of which is due to weather. No or milder winters result in lower living costs. Smaller heating bills, less need for winter apparel, no need for winter tires, longer growing seasons creating less expensive/easier access to some foods. And most people tend to prefer milder weather. There is also a strong anti (big) government tradition among elements of those whose families stretch back to the South for decades. Perhaps due to Reconstruction? After all isn't NASCAR based on attempting to avoid paying taxes? This may erode as more people move from to the South, either from internal or external immigration.
  • MaintenanceCosts This is how you do it.
  • SCE to AUX Never heard of Buc-ee's, especially here in the Pittsburgh area."As Electrek noted, 68 percent of Texans live in those regions." I get it, but putting chargers where the other 32% live may be more important.I wonder if they'll be installing CCS or NACS (Tesla) connectors, or both.
  • Ajla Welp, that's it then. EVs are going to take over after all.
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