Icon Blends Old And New With Tesla-Powered 1949 Mercury Coupe CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News Icon Blends Old And New With Tesla-Powered 1949 Mercury Coupe

Icon Blends Old And New With Tesla-Powered 1949 Mercury Coupe

Oct. 30, 2018 10:00 PM ET by Jared Rosenholtz SEMA 2018 / 10 Comments Could Tesla be the key to the perfect restomod? The automotive community has fallen in love with the concept of a restomod - an old car that has been completely refurbished so it drives like a new car. Among the companies that build these cars, few have reached the level of prestige of Icon, a California-based company founded by designer Jonathan Ward. Icon has become well known for building high-dollar off-roaders based on the Toyota Land Cruiser as well as its Derelict series. The Derelict Series takes an old classic car and leaves the original patina, but replaces almost every original part with hand-crafted ones including a new chassis and a powerful engine. Icon has just released a new Derelict model at the 2018 SEMA Auto Show, but this one packs an interesting secret. Icon Icon Icon In the past, Icon has fitted its derelict with a crazy gas engine such as the GM LS7 V8. However, this 1949 Mercury Coupe is powered by a dual-electric motor with a Performance 85kWh battery from Tesla. The conversion was done in a partnership with Stealth EV, and the Merc now produces 400 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. The batteries allow for a 150 to 200 miles range and the car can be charged up in just an hour and a half on a fast charger. Icon has even retrofitted a CHAdeMO 125A fast-charger behind the rear license plate and converted the original gas filler cap to hide a Tesla fast-charging port. Since there is no "engine," Icon decided to have some fun by covering the battery controllers and Tesla modules with a polished finish. ICON Icon On the inside, Icon wanted to make the car look period correct with Fabric from Knoll Textiles and hides from Moore & Giles. Though everything looks original, it was all reimagined to function as it would in a modern car. Even the power windows are controlled using the original analog window cranks. The smallest details have been painstakingly crafted, meaning this 1949 Mercury is no cheap date. Icon did not reveal any pricing, but we can assume it will be at least $250,000 to $350,000. The 1949 Mercury EV Derelict is now on display at the 2018 SEMA Auto Show in the Optima Battery booth. Icon Icon

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Tesla Model S Jared Rosenholtz Editor-at-Large After graduating with an MBA, Jared pursued his love of cars by becoming an automotive journalist. An internship with CarBuzz grew into his current position as Editor At Large. Jared now spends most of his time evaluating new vehicles and chasing the latest news stories in the automotive industry. When he’s not attending Cars & Coffee events on the weekend, Jared loves to watch NFL football and cruise around with the top down in his German convertible. Contact Jared @Carsnbites @jar_rosenholtz LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top