Chasing Classic Cars

Love the show

 

Wayne does first rate work, he has been working with Francois Sicard for years(mechanical). He is highly capable and trustworthy. Don't know that I would include Legendary in the top tier of Ferrari restorers.

 

I met Wayne before he had the show and he came across as a straight up car guy. I had an appointment to meet with his salesman to look at a 930 he had and I arrived early and the salesman was still at lunch, I was looking at the 930 in the showroom as I waited and Wayne came out of his office and introduced himself and was very cordial. We ended up chatting about cars and he told me a bunch of stories about cars he had bought and how he came across them and also showed me all around his shop. Honestly felt like I was just talking to another enthusiast. In the end I didn't end up buying the 930.

 

Don't know Wayne personally, although his shop is not terribly far from NJ. I do think some prices appear high, not sure if he negotiates but I would guess not much...

 

Amelia Island

 

I appear in the last 5-6 minutes of the episode titled "Million Dollar Finds," describing what I'm looking for as I judge a BMW 507 his shop restored. My 15-minutes of fame...uh, 5-minutes of fame!

 

Can't stand the show except for Roger. They need to give him his own show.

 

+1 I'm not a big fan of car flippers.

 

Agree. I met Wayne at Cavallino in Palm Beach. Discussed the possibility of brokering a car for my friend. He's a stand up guy and is knows his cars very well. He offered his help without hesitation and provided his cell number for follow up. Good guy.

 

The guy follows this pattern: 1) buys cars for rich owners who've never seen them before, 2)"restores" the car for them, 3) takes their cars to high-profile venues (Cavallino, Amelia, Concorso) where the owners finally show up and see them for the first time to pick up a trophy (sometimes), 4) our man either auctions them off or resells them. Not a collector, not a hobbyist, but rather a used car salesman.

 

Google Roger his full name is Roger Barr.

 

Also a big Roger fan. Here he is back in the day:
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All of these shows follow a "formula" - then you realize, they really aren't "car shows" at all - they are characters, in the context of cars (or pawn shops, auctions, storage facilities, etc).

I worked with creators and/or subjects of two very big "reality" shows - eye opening. You realize that they aren't "real" at all, but scripted versions of what life is like. If you saw the "real" life, it would probably be boring.

It's all about character development, and how well the audience connects. Think Chumlee on Pawn Stars or Roger, as noted above. Roger Barr is a pretty respected guy, but comes off on the show as a little goofy (again, as suggested, Google him - he's the real deal).

The worst of these are shows like "Graveyard Cars" - where they paint everyone in the shop to be a wise-cracking moron. I've been told that the main guy there is super nice, nothing like the character on the show. I guess whatever sells, right?

 

I saw the 275 GTB/4 that Wayne restored and took to Concorso Italiano last year (2014) - it had the wrong tail lights on it. It was wearing the Fiat units with the rectangular reflector, rather than the proper Altissimo units with the round center reflector used on all the 250s and 275s with two round tail lights. A simple detail, but a big miss IMHO for a top notch restorer. I wonder how many other minor details were not correct?
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No wonder he's hard of hearing with that full-house Chevy just behind his head. He is truly Old School, I like him.

 

Young Abe Lincoln?

The guy has a fantastic sense of car humor.

 

hmmmm...... a used car salesman with a net worth of 20 million. Plus a personal car collection of around 30 cars.......

 

his building looks like it would collapse in a strong wind.....

 

I like the show and I both of the guys. I have never seen Wayne talk down to people or make fun of people, and they have a sense of humor.

The show doesn't have all the drama of most reality shows. I would let my grandkids watch it without being embarrassed by the language or innuendoes.

They also have a wide range of cars, events, and people. I enjoy seeing the cars and events.

Wayne's dad was a body shop guy, too. The family may have been independently wealthy, I don't know, but they have done well. I am not envious, good for them.

Jerry

 

+1

Scott

 

Not independently wealthy, Wayne is self-made. He is the first guy at the shop in the morning and the last to leave.

 

Not 100% self made. His father had a body/restoration shop and he took it over. Added car sales and the rest is history. One episode he explained how he started.

The thing they don't do anymore that I liked, is saying what Wayne paid for a car. Guess some buyers felt ripped off! For awhile Wayne was asking noise bleed prices, probably thinking the show added some prestige. They are now more realistic.