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Whether you consider yourself a car person or not, there’s no way that “Chasing Classic Cars” hasn’t captured your attention. Ever since the show premiered on MotorTrend in 2009, Wayne Carini has done an excellent job at awakening people’s love for classic cars by showing in detail what goes on in that industry, from searching for the vehicles to restoring them, and then ultimately selling or auctioning them.
Not every car is a good deal and not every chase is a successful one, but those are the things which make “Chasing Classic Cars” a special and unforgettable show. However, now that it’s been a while since we last saw Wayne weaving his magic with cars on TV screens, it’s a good time to remember the most stunning and otherworldly restorations in the show.
So which ones were the best 10 car restorations in “Chasing Classic Cars”? Stay here to find out!
Ferrari Daytona Spyder
Wayne Carini knows a great car deal when he sees one, and the Ferrari Daytona Spyder featured in the first season’s episode “Herb’s Ferrari” was one of those occasions.
It all started when Wayne stumbled upon an online ad for a Ferrari Daytona on sale. Even though at first sight the car’s green paint was off-putting for him, the revelation that the car was involved in a crash hinted to Wayne that it was the same car his friend Herb Chambers had in the 1980s, but lost after a crash due to insurance costs.
The long wait was over for Herb and it was an exciting journey for Wayne too, as his team worked hard to restore it and return it to its former glory. Though the entire restoration process took months to be finished, and wasn’t entirely shown on screen, the Ferrari Daytona Spyder was eventually back in Herb’s hands.
The Green Ferrari
Finding rare cars is Wayne Carini’s specialty, so it’s unsurprising that he’s got his hands on more than one Ferrari Daytona Spyder.
Such a thing happened in the sixth season episode “Green Is the New Black”, in which Wayne restores a 1973 Daytona for a high-profile client named Todd Blue. While finding a Daytona Spyder is a rare occurrence, not only because there are very few of these models but also for its price, this one was even more special due to the fact its owner wanted it peanut green, contrary to the intense red it had been painted during its previous restoration, and which is most commonly found in Ferraris.
In the end, the green paint combined with brown leather interiors did wonders to make the Daytona Spyder stand out from others, resulting in a content customer and a more than pleased Wayne.
1930 Minerva
There isn’t a shortage of great cars to enter Wayne Carini’s garage, but the most memorable ones have an exciting and enthralling story behind them. That was the case with the 1930 Minerva featured in the 11th season’s episode “Road to Minerva(na)”.
The story behind this car goes back to 1959, when a man named John Hawkinson bought the car in partial payments, taking parts of it one by one to his farm in New York State. It took him around five years to finish paying the $1,000 the car was worth at the time, but his excitement over the car never faded.
Even though the 1930 Minerva’s value increased as decades passed, Hawkinson never sold it, instead keeping it stored for several years in his barn. It wasn’t until 2016 when Hawkinson sadly passed away, that the car was rediscovered, thanks to a family friend and Wayne Carini.
While the vehicle didn’t go through a cosmetic restoration, Wayne and his team did everything in their power to put it back in shape functionality-wise. That includes changing parts of its exterior on which the passing of time has taken a toll, plus such as the tires.
In the end, the 1930 Minerva which once belonged to Hawkinson was sold for $484,000 in 2017.
1960 Morgan Roadster
Those who have been watching “Chasing Classic Cars” from the start surely remember this car, not only for how stunning it was but also for its story. As seen in the first season’s episode “Wayne Goes Racing”, the 1960 Morgan Plus Roadster had quite an interesting story, as it was featured in the 1989 movie “Was Of The Roses”, in which it was purposefully partially destroyed in one scene.
The 1960 Morgan Roadster wasn’t in the best condition before being run over by another car on the big screen, but the car still had lots of stories to tell back then. Right after that incident, a man named Bill Caruso purchased the vehicle, and restored it for racing purposes.
Unfortunately, Bill died before taking the car to the race track, leaving it seemingly abandoned for several years. It wasn’t until Wayne Carini bought it and restored it for a second time in 2008, that the 1960 Morgan saw the light of the day again. In the episode, the car sported a new shiny exterior including a dark-green paint job, and was completely functional as Wayne finally took it to a race track.
1931 Packard Roadster
One of the most notable aspects of “Chasing Classic Cars” is how sincere it is towards its audience, showing the highs and lows which Wayne Carini goes through in his business.
One of those opportunities in which things didn’t go too well for Wayne was that of a 1931 Packard 840 Roadster, featured in the 14th season’s episode “Wheels & Deals”. As it happened, the Packard Roadster was in very good condition when Wayne took it to auction, but its silver exteriors and old-looking appearance didn’t attract any attention.
Knowing it was the right time to step up, Wayne took it back to his shop and had it repainted in black, changed its roof to a matte black, installing shiny silver and black wheels, and overall, leveled up the car’s appearance to be more elegant than it was.
Once again, the 1931 Packard wasn’t sold in auction, despite Wayne’s efforts, but it didn’t take long to be sold to a friend of his.
1952 Muntz Convertible
Another one in the long list of amazing restorations led by Wayne is the 1952 Muntz Jet Convertible featured in the twelve episodes of the first season.
This Muntz saw its glory days back when it was owned in the 1950s by the famous musician Freddy Martin, who commissioned several cosmetic and mechanical changes to be done to it. Not much was known about the car for several decades, only barely surfacing in public a couple of times between the 1990s and early 2000s.
In 2008 Wayne purchased it from a collector in Arizona, and restored its exteriors, leaving it in such good condition that the Muntz caught everyone’s attention during that year’s Concours D’Elegance.
1935 Wetteroth
As seen in many episodes of “Chasing Classic Cars”, Wayne is a big fan of classic car races and exhibitions, taking every chance possible to join these events.
Such happened during the episode “A King in Queens” when Wayne took on the mission of restoring a 1935 Wetteroth AAA for racing purposes. Even before the restoration, this car was special, given how in 1947 it won 10th place at the yearly Indianapolis 500.
With such a magnificent story behind it, Wayne didn’t shy away from turning the 1935 Wetteroth back to its old glory, eventually taking it to the 2011 Grand Ascent Hill Climb. Later in 2016, Wayne’s Wetteroth AAA won the Elegance of Competition Award category of that year’s The Elegance at Hershey competition.
1963 Ferrari 250 Berlinetta
One of the most impressive cars ever featured in “Chasing Classic Cars” is the 1963 Ferrari 250 Berlinetta, popularly known as Lusso. Its story can be traced back to 1967, when a man from California became its first known owner, then it was sold to a man in Chicago who repainted it silver, and chose its black leather interiors. Later in the 1990s, the Ferrari was taken back to Europe, where it was restored by a German-based shop.
It didn’t take long for the Berlinetta to return to the US, passing through several owners before landing in the hands of Don Heckler, who in 2007 sold it to Wayne Carini, who back then took two years to restore it starting in 2009, doing an excellent job at reviving the car’s glory days, and partially sharing the process in the fourth season of “Chasing Classic Cars” before selling it again for around $800,000. The last time this car was put on the market was in 2015, when it was sold for $1.815 million.
1966 Ferrari Pininfarina Berlinetta
Even though the Ferrari Berlinetta Coupes are quite special and rare, that hasn’t stopped Wayne from performing his magic on a couple of them. Unlike the Lusso, most of the story behind the 1966 Ferrari 365 Pininfarina Berlinetta is unknown, except that Wayne Carini restored it in the late 1990s.
Later in 2014, viewers of “Chasing Classic Cars” got a hold of how incredible this car was during a seventh-season episode, when Wayne’s team put it back on the road again. After that feature, the 1966 Ferrari Pininfarina went on to win several prizes, including the 2021’s Concours d’Elegance.
1949 Buick Roadmaster
The cream-white 1949 Buick Roadmaster, featured in the episode “Rain Man Buick” from the eighth season, is one of those cars which had an amazing past and a happy ending. As seen in the show, the car owner – Hollywood producer Barry Levinson – commissioned Wayne to restore this car, which is special for having appeared in the 1988 film “Rain Man”, which features an autistic main character. Given how Wayne’s daughter is also on the spectrum, he instantly connected with the restoration project.
Hey that's Wayne Carini, host of TV's Chasing Classic Cars, with his charity @AutismFamCT ! #HR34 @limerockpark pic.twitter.com/eXzGyTnYoh
— Autism Families CONNECTicut (@AutismFamCT) September 3, 2016
Loyal to his good sense when it comes to cars, Wayne took the mission to not only bring back the 1949 Buick to its big-screen glory, but also to make it street-fitting by modifying details of its exterior and mechanical system. The end result was incredible and more than pleasing to the eye, becoming the center of attention once it was taken to the 2016’s Concours d’Elegance.
The memorable episode also showed Wayne and his daughter riding together in the 1949 Buick, conveying the true message of “Chasing Classic Cars”, about how stories and people are the most important thing when it comes to cars.
