ICON hand paints traditional cherokee symbol of ‘safe flight’ on one-off 1975 jeep restomod

ICON 4×4’s 1975 jeep cherokee restomod has ‘safe flight’ designs

ICON 4×4 unveils its one-off build for 1975 Jeep Cherokee with a design that pays homage to the indigenous people’s symbol for Safe Flight. Jonathan Ward, founder of ICON, discovered that this pattern is an abstract representation of an eagle feather. He explains that historically, the symbol adorned water vessels and blankets to protect tribe members embarking on dangerous journeys. Given that the restomod is a 1975 Jeep Cherokee, the founder felt it was fitting to feature the symbol along the body of the vehicle as a hand-painted graphic, as well as in the gauges, coat hooks, door trims, and more.

all images courtesy of ICON 4×4

hand-painted graphic of eagle feather in black and blood red

ICON 4×4 has a series of one-off builds called The Reformers, where the team aims to refit 4×4 vehicles with modern technologies while preserving their historic designs. For their latest build, a 1975 Jeep Cherokee, the restomod company began by studying an original 1975 Cherokee and a 1965 Jeep Gladiator. Jonathan Ward dove into traditional Cherokee textile and clay arts, which led him to discover the symbol of ‘Safe Flight.’

As a tribute to this meaningful discovery, Safe Flight is also the name of the ICON 1975 Jeep Cherokee restomod. Its exterior is finished in custom Porsche Chalk paint, contrasting with a Bentley black roof. On the vehicle’s side, there is a hand-painted graphic and abstract representation of the eagle feather in black and blood red, paying homage to Cherokee heritage. ICON hard-trims the grille, badges, mirrors, handles, and taillight housings, all custom-designed and crafted from machined 6061 aluminum.

view of the symbol for ‘safe flight’ along the body of the vehicle as a hand-painted graphic

Premium leathers replace vinyl in ICON’s 1975 jeep cherokee

Inside ICON’s 1975 Jeep Cherokee, Jonathan Ward replaces the original vinyl with two types of leather. The first is sourced from Moore & Giles, and the second comes from Wickett & Craig, North America’s oldest tannery since 1867. The latter is vegetable-tanned leather traditionally used for saddles, but in the restomod, it’s applied to the handcrafted seat and door panel accents. The ICON founder also collaborated with Trajan Vieira, a master artisan and founder of Mercury Leather Works, to carve the interior leather in the Sheridan style, a technique that gained popularity in the early 1900s in Wyoming.

In addition to the leather materials, the ICON 1975 Jeep Cherokee features German wool square-weave carpets hemmed in leather, an Alcantara headliner, gauges in the original housing, dash knobs, and custom trims. For the mechanics, the vehicle sits on a custom-made Art Morrison chassis with a uniquely designed, one-off frame. The restomod also includes coil-over suspension, which uses coiled springs around shock absorbers to provide a smooth ride, as well as hydroboosted Brembo brakes that use hydraulic power for better stopping performance.

Jonathan Ward, founder of ICON, discovered that this pattern is an abstract representation of an eagle feather

The ICON 1975 Jeep Cherokee also incorporates Fox Racing adjustable nitrogen-charged shocks, which allow the vehicle’s stiffness to be tuned for improved control in different driving conditions. Under the hood, there’s a HEMI 6.4 V8 engine, producing 485 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque. The engine is paired with a custom-built GM 4L85E transmission, a robust automatic gearbox capable of handling the power of the V8. The Atlas II transfer case allows the vehicle to shift power between the front and rear wheels, which is crucial for off-road driving.

The interior setup is quite modern with a Vintage Air Gen IV HVAC system that provides heating and air conditioning, as well as power windows and door locks. The audio system includes Focal Utopia speakers, and discreet LED interior lighting. In ICON’s words, they chose the 1975 Jeep Cherokee to ‘address the negligent errors of the original Detroit designers by correcting the Native American tribal homages that were incorporated into the vehicle’s original design and adding new ones where it made sense.’ Through this restomod, they aim to have both ‘talked the talk and walked the walk.’

detailed view of the front headlights