Numerous car programs have aired over the years, but only a few have been successful. One of the most successful car programs is Chasing Classic Cars. The plot of most car programs involves restoring vehicles, and while that also applies to Chasing Classic Cars, the show also features hunts for classic vehicles. The U.S. television documentary series follows Wayne Carini, the show's host, across the country to track down classic cars from all eras. Carini aims to find classic cars that he can restore to sell at auctions. Some of the cars that Carini finds appeal to him so much that he instead adds them to his private collection.
Updated February 2022: If you're a fan of Chasing Classic Cars and Wayne Carini, you'll be happy to know that we've updated this article with more facts and details surrounding the popular car TV show.
Once Carini has negotiated a price for the vehicle with the owner, he takes it back to his shop in Portland, F-40 Motorsports, and restores the vehicle. The series shows the restoration and auction process. While Carini is a businessman who intends to make money from the restoration, not all the projects are financially successful. The show also features classic cars not seen by the public eye for decades. The show first aired in 2008, with the most recent episode airing in August 2021. Although fans learned a lot about Carini and the cast during the 17 seasons and roughly 200 episodes, there are some facts even the biggest enthusiasts of the show don't know. We went behind the scenes to find out what most fans don't know about Carini and the show, Chasing Classic Cars.
20 The Ultimate Chase Is The 1960 Ferrari 250 SWB
Being close to his father, Carini spent his youth alongside dad by working on classic cars such as Lincolns, Packards, Ford Model As and Duesenbergs. Although young Carini viewed time with dad in the workshop as a hobby, everything changed when he was 9 years old. He went for his first ride in a 1960 Ferrari 250 SWB. That is when the Ferrari bug bit young Carini. Carini became obsessed with classic cars, especially Ferraris, and made chasing classic cars his life purpose.
Since Carini started chasing classic cars, he has discovered numerous antiques. One of the cars that Carini has chased his entire life is the 1960 Ferrari 250 short wheelbase. Carini said that he would chase the car until his last day on Earth and believes that he will not get it due to the exorbitant price. "It's beautiful, compact. ... It does everything right. I've restored seven of them for clients over the years, but a steel body is $5 million, an alloy body is $10 million," Carini said, and they're definitely not cheaper today.
19 Carini's Personal Collection Consists Of Over 25 Cars
What makes Chasing Classic Cars unique from other car programs is that Carini scours the United States for unique vehicles. One of the aspects that makes the show intriguing is that Carini reveals classic vehicles not seen in public for decades.
Some of those cars include the 1952 Muntz Jet and the 1964 Shelby Cobra USRRC Roadster. While Carini restores and sells most of those vehicles, he adds some to his personal collection. He owns more than 25 classic cars, including the 1936 Ford pickup and the 1948 David Davin.
18 Carini Chased His Dream Car For 36 Years
Spending 36 years of your life on any project is grueling, regardless of how much you might love it. You need to possess a tremendous amount of affinity to persist for that long. Carini's passion for classic cars has no boundaries. He fell in love with his dream car, Hudson Italia, at age 16.
Since Carini didn't possess the funds at the time to purchase the car, he spent the next few decades saving money and searching for the vehicle. At age 52, Carini found his beloved vehicle. I can only imagine the joy Carini felt when he held the ownership papers.
17 The Chase For The Dream Car Spawned The Show
The 36-year search for the Hudson Italia was responsible for Carini's television career. When Donald Osborne from the New York Times found out about Carini's story, he published it in the newspaper. The article entitled Your First Love, and Your Last Love reached the desk of the head of the production for Chasing Classic Cars.
The producer showed up at Carini's workshop and asked to document his chase for classic cars. He informed Carini that the role didn't entail compensation but could lead to other rewards, as Carini stated on ERN Live.
16 Carini Was 10 Years Old When He Met Barr
When Hagerty interviewed Carini, the conversation veered toward his friendship with Barr. "You wouldn’t believe how many people walk up to me and start a conversation by asking, “Is Roger here?” Carini said. Carini was 10 years old when he met Barr.
"We lived in Glastonbury, Connecticut, where my father ran a body shop, and Roger ran the local foreign car repair shop. If Dad was fixing an imported car that needed mechanical work, he’d take it to Roger, and if a car at Roger’s shop needed body repairs, it would always end up at Dad’s."
15 Carini Studied To Be A Teacher
Although Carini's career led him to his dream job of restoring classic cars, he was interested in a different field years ago. Before Carini became a host of a car program, he studied at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain to become an art teacher, according to E Celebrity Facts.
After Carini graduated, he discovered that jobs for art teachers were scarce, so he studied Ferrari restoration under the mentorship of Francois Sicard. I'm sure Carini is glad that art teaching didn't pan out as he planned.
14 Carini Plays Up Interest For Certain Cars
While life is not always interesting, the producers have to record the scheduled program and ensure that it is intriguing. Carini is the host of the show and portrayed as a car expert. Regardless of the depth of knowledge that you possess in a field, you cannot know everything.
With some cars, not only does Carini not know all the specs, but he also portrays more affinity for the vehicle than he feels. You can't blame the guy, as the producers are rolling the cameras and expect him to put on a show regardless of his own personal feelings.
13 The Show Achieved High Ratings
Although cameras have followed Carini chasing classic cars for thirteen seasons, the show only recently garnered high ratings. Chasing Classic Cars became one of Velocity's best shows about two years ago when it shattered its previous year's ratings by 59%, proving that it had one of the highest ratings on the network.
Considering that numerous Hollywood stars have appeared on the show, most people are surprised that it took so long for the program to make a breakthrough. With soaring ratings, Chasing Classic Cars isn't going anywhere.
12 Barr Was A Formula Champion Driver
Having a tremendous amount of passion for cars not only propels you to fix vehicles but also to drive. Barr gained most of his mechanical knowledge in the air force while stationed in Germany, where he also had the opportunity to drive for the Porsche factory sports car team in a backup role.
When Barr returned to the United States, he opened a shop and raced on weekends. Barr was so successful that he won the Formula Vee and Formula B national championships. Maybe racing would have been a better career for Barr.
11 Carini Comes From A Family Of Car Restorers
Having great mentors helps you to prosper sooner and enables you to reach a proficiency level that those who did not have mentors would struggle to obtain. Fortunately for Carini, he comes from a family of car restorers. One of Wayne's mentors was his dad Bob, who worked as a restorer.
Wayne's other mentor was his cousin, who built hot rods. Considering that Carini was born and bred in the automobile refurbishing industry, I am not surprised that he ended up in that line of work.
10 Carini Owns Several Businesses
The primary business that Carini owns is F40 Motorsports. The establishment is a dealership and a workshop for classic vehicles. Although Carini did not receive compensation when the show aired, the exposure that Chasing Classic Cars provided for his workshop has been beneficial.
Apart from owning F40 Motorsports, Carini is also the owner and operator of Continental Auto Ltd. and Carini Carozzeria. All three businesses are located in Portland, Connecticut.
9 Carini Supports Autism Research Organizations
Many rich people are philanthropists who contribute to worthy causes. Carini is one of those individuals, as he is an avid supporter of autism research organizations, according to the F40 website. Carini helps to organize and sponsors car events that will benefit autistic children and adults.
One of the incentives for Carini's benevolent deeds is that he wishes to find a cure or treatment for his youngest daughter, diagnosed with autism at a young age. We commend Carini's efforts and hope that he achieves his goal.
8 Roger Barr Left The Show For Health Reasons
Carini is not the only star of the show and an automobile expert. One of the show's main cast members was Wayne's mechanic, Roger Barr. When Barr abruptly left the show, fans wondered what happened to him. Barr was hospitalized due to contracting a leg infection while working on a vehicle.
He resumed work a few months later but suffered from poor health while working at the F40 Motorsports, returning him to the hospital bed. Barr's social media page stated that he recovered and had returned to work half days.
7 Carini's Dad Founded The Model A Restorers Club
Car enthusiasts do not only drive and restore vehicles, but they also establish car clubs. Carini's dad, Bob, founded the first Model A Restorers Club in 1951. The club aims to encourage the fellowship of Model A Ford owners around the globe.
The club's mission is to encourage enthusiasts of the prestige vehicle to acquire, restore and preserve Model A Fords. To unite members, the club organizes events that allow Model A Ford enthusiasts to network and exchange ideas.
6 Barr's Friend Set Up A GoFundMe Account For The Hospital Bills
Good friends are difficult to find. Fortunately for Roger Barr, he has a special person in his life to help him when challenges are ubiquitous. When Barr ended up in the hospital due to a leg infection, his friend, Steve Cripps, set up a GoFundMe account to assist with the hospital bills.
Fans were concerned about the 82-year-old mechanic and contributed around $20,000 to the fund in November 2018.
5 The Show Discovers Cars In The Weirdest Places
Finding rare vehicles is not as easy as walking into a dealership and requesting to test drive a 1960 Ferrari. Considering that Carini searches for cars that the public hasn't seen in decades, he needs to look in places nobody else would think of searching.
"Well, we just found a great car, a 1929 Pierce-Arrow in Cleveland, Ohio, in a garage that had not been opened in 50 years. There were trees growing up out of the door. We found a Ferrari in a garage in New York where the garage was half the square footage of the house. You just can't tell. They can be in garages, barns...," Carini said.
4 Barr Didn't Receive Compensation For Appearing On The Show
After Barr's friend set up the GoFundMe account, he included a description of Barr's biography. "Roger Barr is a semi-retired mechanic working and trying to keep afloat; he doesn’t benefit from the sales of million-dollar exotics nor has any income from the TV series.
He just earns an income as an employee, working four hours a day, and a day or two a week without benefits - unless he’s confined to a hospital bed or told to stay at home by a doctor or his employer."
3 Not All The Cars Are Old
The show aims to document Carini discovering classic vehicles and restoring them to sell at an auction for profit. Although Carini is on the hunt for classic vehicles, his shop, F40 Motorsports caters to all Ferrari enthusiasts.
You don't have to be an avid collector of rare, classic Ferraris to visit Carini's shop, as he stocks a few Ferraris that will appeal to enthusiasts who want the latest models. Numerous Carini fans have not visited the shop due to believing that the shop doesn't cater to their new model needs.
2 The Auction Sales Are Profitable
If you watch Chasing Classic Cars, you will see that Carini has a passion for classic cars and an entrepreneurial mindset. Although Carini loves to restore vehicles, he enjoys making a profit. After the restoration, Carini offers the vehicles at an auction.
Some of the projects that Carini undertakes are financial failures while others are lucrative. According to Car and Driver, Carini found a 1921 Stutz Bearcat and purchased it for $30000. After the restoration, the highest bid when the gavel dropped was $594000 including premiums.
1 Discovery Recruited Carini Before Chasing Classic Cars
Most of the fame that Carini garnered as a classic car restore stemmed from Chasing Classic Cars. Although the show catapulted him into the public's eye, Carini made television appearances before the show aired. Velocity, owned by Motor Trend Group, which is a venture of Discovery, was not the first network to feature Carini.
Before Chasing Classic Cars, Discovery found out about Carini's car restoration expertise and featured him in two-hour long television specials for Discovery's HD Theater Channel: Monterey Week and The World's Most Expensive Cars.
Sources: Car and Driver, gofundme, f40, triblive, ecelebrityfacts, hagerty