It’s not Jenson Button I’m afraid… Though it is close to his heart!
If you’ve been following us on social media, you may have recently seen a snap of a mystery bus on our LinkedIn page.
We can now announce that the new addition to the Alltruck plc team is the world-famous RV called The Icon – arguably the most famous motorhome in the world!
Did anyone guess right?
The Icon is a super-luxe motorhome built for life on the race circuits of Europe. The RV was commissioned in 1997, by the then-current Formula One World Champion, Jacques Villeneuve. The five-star motorhome was built to the highest specification using the most luxurious fittings and innovative ideas available, whilst keeping home comforts at the forefront of its design.
Mika Salo, the Finnish Formula One driver, bought the Icon from Jacques. Salo was responsible for the iconic paintwork on the body of the bus. Soon after he purchased the RV, he painted it a deep red then had the distinctive flame design hand airbrushed on the sides of the bus by two specialist Swedish artists.
Jenson Button, Formula One Champion and motorsport icon, purchased the RV in 2003. Button toured in the bus all around the Formula One circuit for eight-years up until he parted with the RV in 2011. Button won the Championship with Brawn GP in 2009 whilst the vehicle was still in his hands, so it holds a special place in motorsport history.
The Icon has since been used for tours and holidays and has hosted a wealth of different people. These include some luminary guests such as Tiger Woods, Kylie and Dannii Minogue, Bernie Ecclestone, Lewis Hamilton, Lily Allen, Donna Air, and Mick Jagger. It has even been donned by Chris Evans as “the best motorhome ever.”
After a recent accident, which fortunately wasn’t very serious, but did cause significant damage to the unique paintwork, Alltruck plc decided to take on the challenge and restore this world-famous RV back to its former glory!
The motorhome is currently at its new home in Loughborough and is being very well looked after by our experienced team of paint technicians. These are Jamie and Rick, who are working their magic on reviving the worn-out and damaged paintwork, which hasn’t been touched since the Swedish designers got to work in the early ’00s.
Our team are hoping to complete the project by the end of July, so make sure you keep an eye out on our Twitter and LinkedIn pages for updates on our progress. In the meantime, if you’re itching to see more of this famous bus, we’ll be posting a picture tour around the stylish interior of the motorhome shortly – and videos will be soon to follow!
If you’ve taken on an interesting project on wheels during the lockdown, or you’ve had the pleasure to drive (or be driven round in) in a famous vehicle before, let us know in the comments.