The MotorTrend TV show Chasing Classic Cars first hit the small screen in 2008 and has so far lasted for 16 seasons. Fronted by Wayne Carini, the show follows the team as they pick up vintage cars and rarities at auctions before fixing them up and trying to sell them on for a profit—not always successfully!
Carini is the ideal choice to front the show, as he grew up surrounded by classic cars at home and has a particular passion for restoring Ferrari supercars, and he is joined by a team of mechanics and experts on the series to help him bring the classic cars they find back to life.
10 The Hunt For A Hudson Italia Inspired The Show
Chasing Classic Cars may have only been on TV since 2008, but Wayne Carini has been passionate about cars since he was a child, and it was a decades-long hunt for his dream car, which was the inspiration for the show.
Carini had spent his career buying, restoring, and selling cars, but he had dreamed of owning a Hudson Italia, and when he finally managed to track one down in 2006, he knew that this was one car he was never going to sell and was instead going to hold onto it forever.
9 Wayne Carini And Roger Barr Are Childhood Friends
In the early years of Chasing Classic Cars, mechanic Roger Barr was the main man in the repair shop and was definitely in charge when it came to the restoration work on the classic cars Carini found.
The two men met decades ago when Wayne was just 10-years-old, and he used to help Roger out at his repair shop in the local town. Barr was popular with fans because of his no-nonsense attitude, and the on-screen chemistry between the two men was one of the reasons for the show’s success.
8 Barr Used To Be A Racing Driver
Barr used to have a garage in the town where Wayne Carini grew up, and he focused on repairing imported cars while Carini’s own father took care of the home-grown vehicles. As well as working on cars, Barr also had a side-line in the auto industry as a racing driver, taking part in a handful of races in the 1960s and 1970s.
Barr got the gig by working as a mechanic for motor racing teams, and he even managed to win some races in the National Championship in Formula B and Formula Vee competitions.
7 He Eventually Left Chasing Classic Cars Because Of Poor Health
Roger Barr was such an integral part of Chasing Classic Cars that fans soon noticed when the cranky mechanic was no longer a regular cast member on the show. He sustained a minor injury at F40 Motorsports, Carini’s garage which features on the show, and after it became infected he took some time off, and when he returned he could only work part-time hours.
Fans of the show set up an online account to raise money to pay for Roger’s medical bills after it emerged that he made no money from his appearances on the show.
6 The Team Finds Cars In Some Unusual Places
The restoration work may be the focus of each Chasing Classic Cars episode, but often the most exciting part is watching Carini and his team as they scour the country, and even the world, for classic cars, some of which haven’t seen the light of day in decades.
In the very first episode of the show, the team found a rare 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante Coupe that had been hidden away for half a century, while Carini also found a barn filled with more than 40 classic cars in the Adirondacks.
5 But They Have Yet To Find The Ultimate Classic Car: 1960 Ferrari 250 SWB
Carini has been on the hunt for classic cars for decades, and he has made some truly historic finds, but he has yet to find the Holy Grail of vintage vehicles: a 1960 Ferrari 250 SWB.
He has been lucky enough to take a drive in one of these rare supercars and has even restored a few on behalf of clients, but he hasn’t yet managed to get his hands on one for himself. If he did manage to track one down, Carini would be set for life as 1960 Ferrari 250 SWB models have sold for more than $10 million at auction.
4 Carini Owns Several Automotive Businesses
The garage at F40 Motorsports in Portland, Connecticut, will be very familiar to viewers of Chasing Classic Cars as it is where many of the scenes are filmed, but this is not the only auto business that Wayne Carini owns.
F40 is the business that buys and sells vintage cars, while he also owns two other garages in Portland; Continental Auto Ltd., which specializes in repairs for high-end sports cars and Carini Carozzeria, which is where the vintage cars are repaired and restored, and where many of the workshop scenes are filmed.
3 He Actually Started Out Studying To Become A Teacher
Although Carini started tinkering with cars when he was a young boy, helping both his dad and Roger Barr at their repair shops, he didn’t plan on starting a long-term career in the auto industry.
He started studying to become an architect, before switching his major to art education with a view to becoming a college teacher at some point in the future. While he waited for the right job opportunity, he took a job at his dad’s repair shop and the rest is history.
2 Carini Sr. Founded The Very First Club For Model A Restorers
Wayne’s father, Bob Carini, was a significant player in the world of vintage cars, so it is hardly surprising that his son would have been inspired to continue in the family business. Carini Sr. even set up the very first club for Ford Model A restorers in the U.S. in 1952, as well as curating a museum dedicated to Ford Model A vehicles in Connecticut.
Bob even received a lifetime achievement award from the Antique Automobile Club of America. He sadly passed away in 2016 at the age of 93.
1 'Chasing Classic Cars' Was Not Carini's First Reality TV Show
Like a lot of the stars of motoring reality TV shows, Wayne Carini had made a few guest appearances on other series before Chasing Classic Cars was commissioned. Carini appeared in an episode of My Classic Car, a YouTube series presented by Dennis Gage, as well as helping out the team on Overhaulin’.
Thanks to the success of Chasing Classic Cars, Carini is now a regular panelist at motoring shows and vintage car meets around the world and also writes columns for motoring magazines and websites.