Debuting in 2012, "Counting Cars" is a spin-off of popular reality series "Pawn Stars" on The History Channel. The owner of the auto restoration and customization shop Counts Kustoms, Danny "The Count" Koker, appeared regularly on "Pawn Stars" as the classic car and motorcycle expert. "Pawn Stars" and "Counting Cars" are both shot on location in Las Vegas.
What it's all about
"Counting Cars" follows shop owner Danny Koker and his crew as they stalk the roads of Las Vegas in search of classic cars that can be restored and flipped for a profit. The actual car restorations and custom builds are shown in various stages throughout each project.
At the end of the program, Danny reveals the restored or custom builds to the buyer.
Danny
The beginning of the show always features a voice-over from Danny: "Vegas is a gambling town. Most people bet with chips. I bet with rides. And I always go all in." Fascinated with vampires and the macabre, Danny has a black Cadillac hearse, a coffin bed, and a coffin couch. He's the owner of local nightclub Vamp'd, Counts Tattoos (located in the Rio Hotel), Counts Kustoms, and is the lead singer for the rock band Counts 77.
A self-taught mechanic from an early age, Danny is in love with classic cars. His shop restores cars and motorcycles manufactured prior to 1980. For a worthy cause, such as a memorial bike or special customer, Danny has been known to make an exception to his rule.
Danny has an extensive personal collection of classic cars and is known to keep a restoration if it hasn't been sold yet.
Kevin
Kevin Mack, a long-time friend of Danny, is the general manager of the shop. It's Kevin's job to manage the project budgets and schedules. He's also the guy with the employee paychecks. Kevin knows when Danny needs to go out on the road to find quick and inexpensive flips to keep the shop operating.
Kevin and Danny are frequently at odds because Kevin is the voice of reason and Danny is often emotional when it comes to selling the final product. If it's a model or a year of a car he doesn't have in his personal collection, Danny is known to keep the car himself instead of flipping it for a profit. A big part of Kevin's job is to manage Danny so that the shop can continue to fund restoration projects.
Ryan
Ryan Evans is the lead painter, airbrush artist, and Danny's right hand. He and Danny work closely during every restoration and customized build to create a vision for how the car will look in terms of the paint job and aesthetic. Ryan is responsible for giving every project the "Counts Kustoms" unique touch. Ryan's colors, stripes, scallops, flames, flaking and inlaid pearl have to be seen to be believed.
Horny Mike
Horny Mike is the airbrush extraordinaire. His head always adorned with a pair of horns, Mike creates 3-dimensional art atop Ryan's paint creations; such as skulls, dragons or portraits. Mike and Ryan are frequently at odds because Ryan is Danny's golden boy who can do no wrong.
Mike frequently gets himself in trouble with his shenanigans around the shop. Ryan spends a lot of time maintaining Mike and keeping him focused on the project at hand.
Roli
Roli Szabo is the car detailer with a Hungarian accent and often the butt of Horny Mike's pranks. The playful relationship between Roli and Horny Mike provides comedy relief.
Shannon
Shannon Aikau is the self-proclaimed "master chef" at the shop and the brilliant engineer behind the motorcycle builds and restorations. He has the task of engineering customized bikes and has exceeded seemingly impossible challenges over seven seasons of "Counting Cars". In addition to customizing the look of a bike, Shannon has also built bikes to accommodate a paralyzed rider, short rider, and included side cars, just to name a few.
New season
Counts Kustoms is open to the public. Fans can stop by the shop, whether by tour or on their own and enjoy Danny's personal classic car collection. The hearse, coffins and paint jobs featured on the program can be viewed up close. Memorabilia, such as Counts Kustoms brand clothing and Horny Mike horns are available for purchase at the gift shop, and if you're lucky, you may even see a member of the crew walking around. Counts Kustoms is located at 2714 South Highland Drive, less than ten minutes from the Vegas strip.
Even if you know nothing about automobiles, "Counting Cars" is an entertaining mix of education about classic cars, the restoration business, the artistry of paint and interiors, and a bit of comedy relief. The new season of "Counting Stars" premieres on Tuesday, October 3rd on The History Channel.
