Reality TV star and cult hero Danny “The Count” Koker achieved widespread fame and recognition for his hit series ‘Counting Cars’, a show dedicated to chronicling the daily grind of those working at a Las Vegas-based Bodyshop called Count’s Kustoms. In the show, the black bandana-clad Koker and his staff go about restoring and modifying cars and motorcycles – but how many cars does Koker personally own?
Calculating the total number of cars in Danny Koker’s collection is difficult because his inventory is very fluid, but “The Count” once claimed he owned “around 58” cars. In the same interview, Koker also stated that he had an additional 8 motorcycles.
With Koker’s love for automobiles ignited at the just the tender age of 8, when his father bought him his first motorbike, his career trajectory and rise to reality TV stardom truly is the stuff of legend. But how did Koker manage to take a childhood interest and transform it into a career, lifestyle, and identity?
A Passion for Automobiles
The Detroit-born Koker has been a classic car enthusiast from a very young age. Talking about his family background and burgeoning interest in cars, Koker said: “All my relatives are from the Detroit area. A large part of my childhood was spent in Detroit and so many of them worked at Ford Motor Co.
“My uncles and my father always had hot rods and cool cars. Some of my uncles had motorcycles. As a kid, I was always growing up around cars and bikes. It’s been in my blood forever. It runs in the family.”
With such a level of enthusiasm and drive already apparent in the family, it was no surprise when Koker taught himself to become a mechanic and follow in the footsteps of so many of his relatives.
The Collection
When asked about his impressive car collection, Koker once said the following words: “I’m truly addicted. I think I need an intervention. I need some help!
“I have a lot of different cars from very high-performance exotic cars and sports cars to hot rods. I have a soft spot in my heart for the really big, pimpy Cadillacs. My daily driver is a 1965 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. It’s huge. It’s an absolute land yacht. It’s white with a black vinyl top. I’ve got the big gangster whitewalls on it. I’ve done an all-black fur interior in it. It’s my cruiser. It’s the Detroit in me. It reflects the way I grew up.”
With so many prized assets in Koker’s garage, it’s worth taking a closer look at some of the most notable aspects of the cult hero’s collection.
1979 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
One of the fieriest components of Koker’s collection – literally, he has customized the Camaro with flames – is his 1979 Chevrolet Camara Z28. The ride is said to come complete with a five-literV8 engine and has a number of body kits installed.
Regarding the car’s timeless aesthetic, Koker said: “the flames represent the feeling you get when you put your foot down, a feeling I’m sure everyone wants to feel!”
1973 Buick Riviera
Koker’s Buick Riviera is a straight-up relic from the 70s that’s been souped-up and modernized. Like a prop from an Austin Powers movie, the car’s interior has also been customized and fitted with fluffy velvet materials.
1932 Ford Roadster
One of Koker’s most unique assets, his 1932 Ford Roadster really is a throwback to the very dawn of the motorcar. But this Roadster is far from old and dusty, with Koker saying: “This car is a significant hot rod. The first time it was ever cut up and turned into a hot rod was way back in 1949. It’s one of the oldest and historic hot rods in the nation. I acquired the car back in the early ’80s and it’s been with me ever since. It’s one of the crown jewels in the collection.”
1966 Mustang GT350
While not particularly special in terms of style or age, Koker’s Mustang does have plenty of sentimental value: “It’s a car that my father purchased when I was nine. It’s been in the family forever. I lost my father a few years back and now the car belongs to me.
“It’s one of the most significant cars on a personal level because it was his. And frankly, it was the one that started it all. He bought that car when I was nine and from there he and I just started playing with cars together and we started collecting cars together. I’ve carried the tradition on throughout the years. I look around the shop and I have a handful of vehicles that he and I have collected together.”
The Best Wheels Around
“The Count” may have some of the best rides around, but it’s hard to see a real winner in the collection that isn’t the heartfelt family heirloom that is the 1966 Mustang GT350. Sometimes, sentimentality just trumps all else.