Key Takeaways

• David Freiburger is a household name in the world of muscle cars and hot-rodding due to his role as Chief Editor of Hot Rod Magazine.
• He has accumulated wealth through his various positions in the automotive world, including salaries and earnings from shows, and is worth millions.
• David's passion for vintage and classic cars is evident in his garage, which houses over 170 cars that he has restored and sold at a good value.

David Freiburger is the former Chief Editor of Hot Rod Magazine, which is how he became a household name in the world of muscle cars and hot-rodding. He was subsequently a returning special guest on Hot Rod Garage, a famous automobile show that delved into Freiburger's area of expertise, and co-hosted the 3K Hooptie Challenge. Currently, Freiburger hosts the Roadkill, Roadkill Garage, and Engine Masters series for MotorTrend in his inimitable style. This means he's still rocking flip-flops and tees!

David's obsession with muscle cars started in his early teens, having owned a 1970 Super Bee before he even had a driver's license. He started his career as a spare parts seller at a Dodge dealership immediately after graduating high school. His break into the print industry came about with a freelance piece submitted to an off-roading magazine before joining the Hot Rod network in 1991, further moving up to the editor's position in 2001.

Since then, he has held many positions in the motoring world, enabling him to accumulate wealth. He has been able to amass wealth through assets, restored muscle cars, and earnings from the different positions he has served in the automotive world. Today, he is worth millions and is happiest around cars, especially classic Mopars. The vast collection in his garage is mostly classic cars dating back to the 1950s, the most iconic of which is the F-Bomb Camaro.

Updated September 2023: We've updated this article to include everything that the former Hot Rod magazine editor is up to today after putting his 30-year-long career in the print industry behind him. We also tell of his unending love for classic Mopars, which has helped him amass millions.

David Freiburger Is Worth Millions Thanks To A Career In Automotive Publishing

David worked for 30 years at Hot Rod Magazine, where he held different positions, including TV and radio show host, before rising through the ranks to Chief Editor. At Rod & Custom magazine, he held an Editor's position, too. He has facilitated video episodes of Roadkill, where his vast car information has gained him a huge mileage in viewership due to richly informative content. While David has amassed his wealth through the car industry, his knowledge and passion for cars have paid for it.

As of 2023, David's net worth is said to range between $1-5 million. Most of his wealth has accumulated from salaries and earnings from shows throughout his life working in the automobile industry. It is rumored that he takes home just over $110,000 annually from Hot Rod Magazine, alongside other benefits. In February 2022, he celebrated his 30th anniversary at Hot Rod Magazine.

Other magazines he's worked for include Car Craft and 4-Wheel & Off-Road. Aside from car shows and restoration life, he also makes money from his YouTube channel, which currently has more than 80k subscribers at the time of this writing.

The 'Roadkill' Host Is A Mopar Kid; Has Owned Close To 200 Cars

David is into vintage and classic cars. His garage boasts some iconic American cars that ruled the car industry in the past. His car ownership spans over 170 cars, most of which have been restoration projects. After bringing them to life, he sells them at good value to people who understand the prestige tagged along with owning a classic car. An example is the Super Bee, which has been in his garage for over 30 years, experiencing five engine swaps.

David says he made five engine swaps for the Dodge Super Bee acquired at 17 in a recently released video. In a social media post where he shared details about his collection, David confessed to having owned over 170 cars in his life. The oldest is a 942 Ford GPW Green. Over time, Chevrolet cars have dominated his garage among cars from Dodge, Jeep, Pontiac, and Plymouth.

He had a 1969 Ford Mustang that served as a daily driver; a 1973 Pontiac Ventura, F-Rod, Chevy Impala, 1995 Chevrolet Camaro, and Chevrolet Crusher, among other vintage cars.

What Is David Freiburger Doing Today?

Aside from TV shows and editorial jobs, car restoration and videos have significantly contributed to David's wealth. Unlike modern cars, vintage cars hold their value in the market well. It is due to their unique looks and the fact that they are rare to get. They give one a sense of uniqueness and a feeling of prestige. The process of restoring vintage cars requires some good cash. They are old-school with outdated technology. People love them for the way they are. It is what David capitalizes on. He looks for specific cars that could return some good value once restored.

As time goes by, the value of vintage cars goes high. It isn't easy to get a vintage car in pristine condition. David makes it simple. He picks up a stalled vintage car, restores it to a functional state, uses it for a while, and then sells it. It is what he has been doing for the last 50 years.

Freiburger's utmost dedication to reviving rusty old cars is clearly evident with his Field Car 1956 Chevy build. He is currently invested in transforming this twenty-plus-year-old classic into a drag monster. Recent updates on Instagram give us a peak at what he has been brewing. His '56 Chevy packing a 406 small block, ran one-eighth mile (while popping a wheelie) at 11.002 seconds @ 123 mph. He is planning to make it better, and the coolest aspect of him working on these classics is that his followers are involved. A quick glance at the comments under his Instagram post on builds reveals a healthy section of suggestions to improve performance.

Freiburger embraces these opinions and also mentions them in the posts. In his '56 Chevy post, Freiburger says, "Based largely on input from followers, I think the gearing needs to be dropped from 4.88 to 4.56. It's going through the lights at 7,200–too far past the power peak of 6,600 for too long. But even with the 4.88, you can hear a faint bog after launch. I need a better clutch technique for more rpm, and perhaps that aluminum flywheel is biting me. Turn it up!" This is how David Freiburger motivates his followers to hop on and enjoy the process of building cars with him.

David is famous for car modifications to make them compete at high speeds, a plus point for enthusiasts looking for special classic cars. He's even gained fame as one of the few to make it to the Bonneville 200 MPH Club.