Right Up James Bond's Alley: Cars & Casino @ ICON 4x4

June 3, 2015
Story By
John McCabe

Jonathan Ward is the owner of TLC and ICON 4x4 . His creations, whether they are ICON Broncos, “derelicts,” “reformers,” or TLC Toyota Land Cruisers, have one thread that runs through each – they’re tough. As it turns out, they also have a heart. Thanks to their soft side, a lot of children across the United States – and across the world – can live better lives. For the second consecutive year, Jonathan has teamed up with Scott Fifer, CEO of GO Campaign to raise money for the charity.

GO Campaign identifies Local Heroes to be their “boots on the ground” in communities throughout the world who are helping children at the grassroots level. GO Campaign has championed and funded over 80 Local Heroes across the globe. Since 2006, GO Campaign has helped more than 58,000 children across 28 countries. Some of their accomplishments include:

School building in Cambodia and Mexico
Music and arts programs in Paraguay and Mississippi
Anti-trafficking programs for girls in Nepal
Peace-building projects for children in Haiti and Kenya
Income-generating projects for orphans in Tanzania and South Africa

Like any other charity, the group needs to raise funds and awareness in order to continue their efforts; that is where Jonathan and his wife Jamie come in. The Wards met Fifer through several mutual friends in 2013 and they began working with the GO Campaign to build schools in Mexico on Indian land that the Mexican government refused to help with. Then, in 2014, the idea was raised to hold a fundraiser at ICON’s facility. The event was scraped together in merely six weeks! Despite having very little time to organize, the event was a success, raising about $30,000. Having seen a glimmer of what they can do to help children around the world while having a grand event at their shop, they set off to do an even bigger and better event for 2015.

The casino consisted of a roulette table, craps and poker, along with about a half-dozen blackjack tables, complete with professional dealers. In the front lobby, a silent auction was held. This is where Jonathan’s community of contacts came into play. Dozens of companies donated products to the silent auction, including fighter jet lessons from Air Combat USA, riding lessons from the Dirt Bike Riding Academy, a coffee table book from Penthouse, a Fender guitar, a camera from Hasselblad, high-end watches, towels and sunglasses, a basket of beef and even a set of American Racing wheels were up for auction! Yeah, it was that good. In fact, GO Campaign raised more than $100,000 at this single event, which more than tripled the amount brought in at the first annual Cars & Casino. Scott goes on to state that “100% of the proceeds will go to support programs for orphans and vulnerable children around the world,” due to a private donation that covers all of GO Campaign’s fundraising and administrative expenses.

The event went off spectacularly, with over 250 attendees and boatloads of awesome cars and trucks inside and out. Many of ICON’s customers participated, one of them even volunteered to emcee the event - Joel McHale is the host of E!’s Talk Soup weekly TV show and the lead actor in the cult hit, Community. More importantly, he owns an FJ-43 customized by TLC. Jonathan Ward was truly appreciative of Joel’s assistance, explaining that “he had to rearrange his schedule. He had a stand-up gig scheduled for that night, but he really came through for us.” GO Campaign’s Scott Fifer declares of Joel, “He couldn’t have been more generous with his time and talent! He made the night really special.”

Then there were the cars (which is what always brings DrivingLine to visit ICON). Of course, you would find all the TLC/ICON mainstays, like an electric powered bus and bug from Zelectric Motors, a Bentley, a VW Squareback (ICON style, of course) and… oh wait, those aren’t what you’d expect at ICON. Fret not, off-roaders, Jonathan had his usual array of Land Cruisers, Broncos and Derelicts in many stages of their builds, from body-off to completed. Check the gallery to see more of these amazing machines.

Also, the highlight of the show (okay, that may just be my opinion, but it is a valid one) was the very first appearance in over 45 years of one of off-roading’s most famous cars, the Brick Privy. For those of you not familiar with the Brick Privy, she was one of the first purpose-built off road vehicles, raced in the “Unlimited Open 4WD Division” and is an early predecessor to today’s ULTRA4 cars. She was given her name by the great actor Steve McQueen, who was one of its drivers and also a competitor. The car was built (and often raced) by Pete Condos, who was also a co-founder of the Baja 1,000 race. As the founders of this race, Condos and his partner, Ed Pearlman, are recognized as the originators of off-road racing. It must be noted that, as bad-ass as this car is, she has an automatic.

As with any gala, food and drink were everywhere to be found. Multiple tables and bars were set up and trays made their way around the room with myriad hors d’oeuvres. In the backyard, along with many more displays and Broncos waiting to be reborn, were two food trucks ready to serve guests. A DJ played several different genres of music throughout the evening (including the obligatory set of “car songs”).

Scott explained that it is events such as these that bring in the lion’s share of the funds that the organization needs to help needy children “from East L.A. to East Africa.” Their other big fundraiser occurs each November in Beverly Hills as they hold their annual star-studded gala. Scott says that he would love to have more events and specifically citing events held by the automotive community, “Events at auto places are cool! I hope more people in the auto world step up and throw some parties for us. What a great way to help kids around the world and have fun at the same time!” He went on to say that the celebrities and other guests in attendance loved ICON, “Our guests really enjoy the chance to see the ICON cars up close in the shop. It’s like being in a giant toy workshop!”

Jonathan told DrivingLine that they are already working on next year’s Cars & Casino event and promises even more entertainment. “We had our first planning meeting last night and we’ve already hired a caterer so that we can have better food…” It really looks like Cars & Casino 2016 will be an incredible event, and DrivingLine hopes to be there to cover it for you — unless you want to participate in this fun, unique and charitable event in person. You’re welcome to find out more about GO Campaing and be alerted to future events on their website gocampaign.org.

Right Up James Bond's Alley: Cars & Casino @ ICON 4x4

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