Jonathan Ward is the founder of ICON, a California-based company that reimagines classic SUVs, like Toyota FJs and Ford Broncos, as well as vintage cars with modern tech and materials. 

“It’s so cool what they are doing. You get the awesome 1920’s car look, with it still running and feeling amazing. There is no fear that the car is going to break down at any minute,” sophomore Seth Chaplin said.

Ward takes vintage cars and, instead of restoring it to the way that it would have looked and driven when it was created, preserve the decay that has occurred through the years but update the vehicle to a cutting-edge driving experience, according to CNN.com.

“I would buy one of these cars in an instant. I’ve always loved older cars, and to be able to be safe with all the commodities of the current technology, it’s perfect,” junior Brandon Chemeleski said.

Coined by Ward as the “Derelicts,” the improved vintage cars take a long time to perfect. Each year, ICON delivers about 250 vehicles, but the Derelicts are the most rare. They only produce around three or four a year, in total,  just under two dozen.

“They are so rare and so special that getting your hands on one of these is nearly impossible. It would be awesome just to be able to sit in one,” sophomore Dominik Fritz said.

Ward searches the country for parts to complete a vintage car, one at a time. According to CNN.com, Ward said, every car has a story, every dent a background, and his job is to tell that story, with a technological twist.

*Information from CNN.com