April 2020 • By Tony Thacker

Sometimes it appears as if the vehicles at the annual SEMA Show are on a ‘bling-go-round’ that they can’t jump off, forced to add more and more glitter in the vain hope of attracting attention. It’s an impossible situation and it was therefore most refreshing to come across this patinated ’49 Merc’ in the Optima Battery booth.

At first glance, it looked like any other barn-find hot rod with its rust spots, edgy paint and it’s electric engine. Wait. What electric engine? Sure, right there under the giant rusty Merc’ hood sat what looked like an odd-shaped V-8 but was, in fact, the finned-aluminum home for the battery controllers and a few of the vehicle’s Tesla modules.

Originally, the ’49 Merc’ would have been powered by a 255 ci flathead V8 that produced 110 hp at most. It was an aging design based on the Ford V8 introduced in 1932. Powering the Icon Merc’ is a dual electric motor co-engineered between Icon4x4.com and StealthEV.com that sits where the transmission used to sit. This transmission-less design produces the equivalent of 400 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. A full Tesla Performance 85 kWh battery pack is distributed throughout the vehicle for optimum weight distribution. According to Icon CEO and chief designer Jonathan Ward, “It has an estimated top speed of 120 mph and a range of 150 to 200 miles. It has a CHAdeMO 125A fast-charger plug behind the tilting front license plate frame and also we converted the original gas filler into a Tesla supercharger plug to expedite in-transit charging. ”

The original, one-owner, California two-door body sits atop an Art Morrison chassis with four-wheel, multi-link independent suspension, JRi shocks, electric-assist rack and pinion steering and Brembo disc brakes all round. The differential is a Strange/Dana 60. It rides on vintage-style, 18-inch billet aluminum rims fitted with original Merc’ hubcaps and shod with Goodyear Eagle F1 asymmetric tires: 235/50R18s up front and 245/55R18s in the rear.

Inside, the Merc’ looks part old and part new with a modern, digital instrument panel that when showing functions has a large central speedo plus three cold-hot gauges for the motor, controller and battery and three gauges for charge, amps and voltage. Incidentally the dash knobs are bespoke chromed steel, inspired by the original design, classic Art deco Merc’ knobs.  

The electric Merc’ is one of Icon’s Derelict series of builds that Jonathan summed up saying, “We wanted to provide our client with the style and quality of a vintage vehicle but with modern performance and functionality? We say you can have your cake and eat it too!”