Take a moment as you watch this video and study Johnathan Ward. He comes across initially as a college professor who has no trouble having a drink with his most talented students. Note that I said “talented”…get your heads out of the gutter. Ward’s actions, mannerisms, and ability to cut up just as easily as he can be serious translates into the kind of person who can operate out of the normal viewpoint yet is still perfectly capable of getting the job done, whatever that job happens to be. He comes off a bit goofy, but don’t be fooled for a second. That joking nature has been applied courtesy of a deep knowledge of what he’s done and where he’s comfortable at.

You probably know about the ICON trucks…Toyota FJs, old Dodges and the like that are re-imagined, restomodded…call it how you see it, but they are re-worked into something much more than they were without losing that period-correct flavor. ICON is Ward’s baby, and he has messed around with a bit of everything over the years, from early Broncos to a 1990s Caprice. But the DeSoto was first, the genesis of what would become the Derelict brand. Leave the true patina alone, update the mechanicals and electrical systems for proper use, restore the interior, and leave it perfectly useable. That’s the backbone of a Derelict build.