Photo: Concourse d’Elegance duPont Registry by J. Wilder Bill

A dream. That’s where it all started for so many of us and that’s often where it all ended, unless you possessed the drive of an automobile. At the Concourse d’Elegance in Winter Park, Florida, I met three guys with enough motivation to transmute an interest in cars into fame and income.

Two men created the series, Car Show Television. 

Meet Andrew McClary and Alex Berry – two buddies who spent their leisure time admiring vintage and rare vehicles at car shows. The car industry wasn’t only about persistent salesmen and vacant showrooms. Practically every weekend, somewhere out there sleek models giggled and posed for poster style photos with car lovers. Famous entrepreneurs discussed ways to improve the planet by modifying engines. Friends who loved breathtaking settings at cozy airports full of glamorous private jets and aerobatic dancers serving champagne from chandeliers got gussied up to chitchat in the midst of the bright lights. Thrill seekers enjoyed riding actual race cars with legendary professional drivers behind the wheels.

Like so many dreamers, Andrew decided to replace his work with his passion. But how did he go about turning joy into gold? Andrew’s career revolved around the production industry. He produced and designed websites for television, and created reenactment scenes for trials. His architectural education gave him an understanding of the machinery. As a matter of fact, he is also an inventor of a model electric car.

His desire – create a car television show with features that get up close and personal with the vehicles. He wanted to give viewers the opportunity to appreciate the amount of work that goes into restoring a diamond in the rough. Those dreamy vintage vehicles oftentimes were forgotten in dumpsites or even at the bottom of a lake for decades. Many are one of two in existence, and one of five ever produced. Famous 1930s movie stars owned some cars and famous first-timers who did things such as flew long distances in airplanes and created animated movies. When walking in the shade of the trees through a grassy park full of vintage automobiles, it was common to pass by the one vehicle used to invade a country, or featured in a classic film, but unless someone took the time to present the unique information to the public, the stories were forgotten and a piece of history disappeared.

His friend and fellow car enthusiast, Alex Berry, motivated Andrew’s dream. Alex had a dream as well, and his revolved around the human interest story behind passion and hard labor. He wanted to share the excitement of the car owners by asking questions. Who were the past owners? What places had the car seen? Where had the car been? He loved listening to owners eagerly explain how they researched the original paint color and what gimmicks they had to configure in order to get the out of production parts to work properly, after years of rust eroded the pieces. Alex wanted to allow viewers to get to know the owners on an intimate level. Not all car enthusiasts were wealthy. Some were dedicated to keeping what were once innovative inventions alive. Many were regular guys who materialized their dreams of salvaging the art in machinery.

How could Alex satisfy his curiosity? Alex’s background was also based on the production industry. As the senior producer of multiple television shows, he understood how to materialize their concept for viewers. Thanks to his many years of working with Fortune 500 companies, Alex had the “in” with finding sponsors. Alex picked up a camera and shifted his admiration into recording stories about the amount of time and energy, heart and soul, that went into restoring a vehicle, into preserving history. To Alex, every car had a story to tell.

The result – Car Show Television originated on www.carshowtelevision.com. Their skills and passion were combined with dedication. Shortly after airing, Alex and Andrew started riding high. They captured a wide market that included vintage car buffs and general car enthusiasts. Children got excited at seeing unique cars as well as teenagers who couldn’t wait to earn their freedom. Car Show Television was picked up by cable television and was broadcast on The Auto Channel – WHDT – in South Florida, and continued to air via their website.

Another dreamer hosts a different series, Chasing Classic Cars.

The car business wasn’t too crowded for another dreamer with a sense of reality. Wayne Carini, a car restorer whose fascination for Ferraris started at the age of nine had stardom in his sight. His most recent mega-million dollar venture included hosting Chasing Classic Cars.

His dream was to surround himself with the finest and most elite vehicles in the world. According to Wayne, his job included traveling across the country and abroad to meet with clients. Those clients, as he casually referred to them, were the wealthiest individuals of fine taste who only drive the most elite vehicles created.

In his travels, Wayne gathered a nifty car collection of his own, with the Ferrari always remaining close to his heart. He rose to the top quickly, and was clever enough to continually reinvent himself. Chasing Classic Cars wasn’t Wayne’s first appearance on television. His desire was to introduce his inner circle of top dogs and their high performance autos to the world.

He features celebrities and entrepreneurs with the ease of your closest relative sitting down for a holiday dinner beside the fireplace. His lofty personal relations afforded him the grace of getting viewers into the private settings of the elite car owners’ garages. You can view the warmest, most engaging rich guy on the planet at www.velocity.com/tv-shows/chasing-classic-cars.

Love Your Dream, Live Your Love

What these three men have in common is goodwill in their dreams. They share a laidback style in connecting with us regular folks who are car enthusiasts. Each is conversational, and inviting. They sit down over lunch and ask what you think and what experiences have you enjoyed with automobiles.

Bonding with the average man just for the sake of sharing an interest is an expression of love. Having a curiosity about another’s quest for joy is an ingredient for loving life.