http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/icon-helios-is-incredible-2014-08-04 The new Icon Helios is incredible Vijay Pattni 04 August 2014
[image http://www.topgear.com/uk/imageresize/image.jpg?OriginalImageUrl=%2fuk%2fassets%2fcms%2fca96a73b-5594-4e47-ab6e-55a4dbe81ead%2fLarge+Image.jpg (Helios sketch) ] The design mind behind the Bronco is taking it back with all-electric Tesla-based aluminium rocket Meet the Icon Helios, an Californian dream machine packing an all-electric platform, and bodywork surely dreamed up when Howard Hughes got drunk with Gordon Buehrig. Actually, that's the analogy Icon's owner, Jonathan Ward, uses to explain his latest vision. "One way or another," he revealed on Twitter, "I will build this car. Looking for the right client to commission it." A bit of history, first. Icon is famous for building one of TG's favouritest ever cars, the Bronco; a reworked 1972 monster with an entirely new chassis underneath, a box-fresh 5.0-litre V8 up front and a good, solid slug of 400bhp and 400lb ft of torque. There's a purpose built Atlas II transfer case, custom Dynatrac Dana solid-axle assemblies and independent coilover suspension by Eiback and Fox Racing. So it's a serious, serious bit of kit. The Icon Helios, then, was revealed to an audience in Oregon, where Ward was presenting his future. "I've finally networked my brains with Elon Musk," he says, indicating that he's hoping to use the Tesla Model X platform, with its selective all-wheel drive and 380-mile pure electric range, to sit underneath this stunning bit of design. And you have to agree, the Helios is an astonishingly extravagant bit of work. "It's audacious, large, a five passenger car," Ward explains. There's burnished aluminium, exposed copper rivets, leather strapping and that bodyshape inspired by things like the DC-1 experimental plane from the ‘30s. "I've got a meeting with Ralph Lauren," Ward said last week, "but he doesn't know that I'm going to make him buy this car. I think it's up his alley, because his car collection is the holy grail. "Most of them suck to drive, though, maybe except for the McLarens..." [© BBC Worldwide] http://jalopnik.com/icon-wants-to-use-a-tesla-to-create-this-gorgeous-one-1612442415 Icon Wants To Use A Tesla To Create This Gorgeous, One-Off Streamliner Damon Lavrinc Jul 30, 2014 [images http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/p5fizrrjf5ecupnbs0cp.jpg http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/z9frsxrm9snlsr1bjcrn.jpg http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/jdeonatuwvhtj3vdxfvm.jpg http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/zwufvpncbcfyerq6zbwd.jpg http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/yzub3mxylpb0uv1cbcrm.jpg http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c0kfhc0177w4qwg4nphh.jpg http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/pmbdksxz3etshicxrilz.jpg http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/dhfkfsdey7mtkgcakfbn.jpg http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/ysm3yk3skdvepk1idkyl.jpg http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c5zkjnzzzvobfhabmzlo.jpg ] Icon's Jonathan Ward has officially made the leap from OCD car builder to mad scientist. He's in the early stages of a new project that will see the realization of his streamliner fetish, and he's making in-roads at Tesla for the underpinnings, complete with all-wheel-drive. Ward recently spoke to one of the largest design organizations in Portland about Icon, his philosophy, and a rehash of his products before ending with a series of sketches and asking the question, "What would (Howard Hughes have) taken Cruella Deville out in?" This. It's called the Helios, named after the Greek god of wind. Merging the streamliner aesthetic, post-WWI aircraft, and his love of alternate realities, the Helios is Ward's imagination run wild in a 21st century revival of classic coachbuilding. "Although almost all of our projects thus far have been recreations inspired by vintage vehicles, I am fascinated about the concept of revisiting history in our own way," Ward tells Jalopnik. "The most interesting way to do this is by celebrating a particular era of design, or design language. More interesting still, is when we start to think about what could have happened had history gone a different way. This 'revisionist' approach to transportation design has filled my little brain with tons of ideas and theoreticals." Those theoreticals have given birth to an entirely different world in Ward's mind. A place where automotive designers adopted the aircraft aesthetic a decade earlier, where the frugality brought on by the Great Depression and WWII didn't exist, and the notion of quantity over quality never pervaded the industrial revolution. And he's trying to get some face time with Elon Musk to make it a reality. "In keeping with the founding premise at ICON, of fusing vintage design with the best modern drive experience and technology, I can think of no better platform to build this on, than the Tesla," Ward says. "I have such great respect for the company and the creative spirit of Mr. Musk, plus the S is a blast to drive." But Ward is more interested in the dual-motor all-wheel-drive system coming to the Model X SUV next year. "I want to take the new Model X platform – so selectable AWD, 380-mile range, pure electric – and fuse it with this lost language," Ward says in the talk. Ward goes onto describe it as audacious and large, with seating for five, a burnished aluminum body, leather strapping, and exposed copper rivets. But Ward admits he and his team are in the very early stages. It's just a sketch, some ideas and Ward's infectious enthusiasm combined with amazing fabrication possibilities. "This project is currently only a concept, but one that I will move mountains to figure out how to get built," says Ward. And he's already thinking about an owner. "I've got a meeting with Ralph Lauren to talk about something else," Ward says. "He doesn't know I plan on totally taking over the room and making him buy this car… Most of [his cars] suck to drive except for the McLaren. So… that's my pitch." [© jalopnik.com] ... http://ecomento.com/2014/07/31/if-jules-verne-drove-a-tesla-meet-the-icon-helios/ If Jules Verne drove a Tesla… Meet the Icon Helios July 31, 2014 – Richard Lane ... http://gas2.org/2014/08/01/icon-streamliner-tesla-mashup/ Vintage Streamliner + Tesla Model X, by ICON Aug 1, 2014 For all EVLN posts use: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=evln&sort=date http://gas2.org/2014/07/29/new-battery-boasts-7-times-energy-density/ New Battery Boasts 7 Times More Energy Density http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_26252649/fremont-electric-scooter-startup-comes-innovation-district Mahindra GenZe electric scooter site moves to Fremont, CA http://driving.ca/reviews/road-test/motorcycle-review-2014-brammo-empulse-r Premium priced sporty electric-motorcycle for the real world http://www.consumerelectronicsnet.com/article/PlugShare-Teams-Up-With-Nissan-for-No-Charge-to-Charge-Promotion-3415150 PlugShare Teams Up With Nissan for 'No Charge to Charge' Promotion ... http://www.plugshare.com/leaf/ PlugShare now supports Nissan’s No Charge to Charge Program + EVLN: Smart ForFour Cabrio EV Confirmed For 2016 Release {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Icon-Helios-a-Howard-Hughes-Gordon-Buehrig-drunk-dream-r-380mi-tp4670883.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
