If you’re a motorhead or simply love high-quality TV, then chances are that you know well who Dave Kindig from “Bitchin’ Rides” is. Ever since the show premiered on MotorTrend in 2014, Dave has demonstrated how skillful and talented he and his staff are, and expanded their brand beyond the US, showing everyone how things are done at Kindig It Design.
With such massive, overwhelming success, isn’t strange that Dave has also gained the hearts of an uncountable number of people worldwide, regardless of whether they’re into cards or not. However, have you ever wondered the real reason behind the success of Dave and his show? Does charisma also have to do with it?
Keep watching to find out just why everyone loves Dave Kindig!
His Show Is Top Tier
It’s no secret that reality shows have taken over the car-centered TV industry for the past years. However, most of those series include huge amounts of drama and not-so-automotive subplots which eventually deviate the attention from what’s most important; that is, the car builds.
That’s not the case with “Bitchin’ Rides”, as everyone involved with it tries to keep the automotive magic intact while also approaching each project with lots of professionalism. On top of that, the staff leaves the ‘pretend stuff’ such as scripted and rehearsed dialogues behind while just doing ‘what they do’, as Dave Kindig himself said in an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune.
With that being said, neither Dave nor his Kindig It Design team had much experience starring on TV before “Bitchin’ Rides”, but eventually grew used to having cameras around the garage.
All of these factors make everything very compelling for viewers, also attesting to the high quality of Dave’s work as a designer and leader, and his love for cars.
His Projects Have No Limits
Everyone who has ever watched “Bitchin’ Rides” knows that the money aspects behind every project which crosses the doorstep of Kindig It Design are usually kept in secrecy, done this way because Dave Kindig doesn’t limit his creativity by budgets, simply letting his imagination and skills run free every time he takes on a project.
While not knowing how much a car build could cost can be highly worrying for the common folk, the truth is that Dave’s builds aren’t just for anyone. As he affirmed in an interview with Rides and Drives, his decades-long experience in the car building field stops him from accepting budget-limited projects in his garage, as he prides himself on the highly skillful and detailed work that his staff does, making every penny worth it, regardless of how long it takes to get the job done.
Although Kindig It Design isn’t the right place to take a car to with a budget in mind, Dave told the Salt Lake Tribune that his projects are usually high six-figures, so that gives everyone an idea of how costly these are.
All in all, Dave’s cars aren’t cheap at all, but it’s fascinating to see such an expert having so much creative licence.
He’s Hardworking
Dave Kindig is quite a cool and hard-working guy, most likely because of his humble beginnings, and the long and tough path he had to walk before finding success.
As Dave shared in a 2018 interview, he was a ‘welfare’ kid who grew up in an under-privileged part of Utah, with no dad present at home. He started drawing insects at around five years old, eventually replacing the illustrations of bugs with cars, as those were something he could not only draw but also build at home with his construction toys.
Time passed, and Dave’s love for cars increased to the point when he began fixing his cars. Except for a couple of classes in mechanics which he took in high school, Dave is completely self-taught when it comes to designing and working on cars.
After opening a small car-building shop in his garage, Dave landed his first job at a local automotive company, where he stayed working for a couple of years. Later on, he was hired to illustrate cars for a magazine, making himself something of a name in the industry before leaving it all to start Kindig It Design in 1999.
Seeing his beginnings and how far his work has taken Dave, it’s unsurprising that automotive forums usually have positive comments about him.
He Appreciates His Team
Dave Kindig is undeniably the star of “Bitchin’ Rides”, but he also does a good job not only at leading his staff to make the best out of every project but also recognizing their work, even when cameras are off.
As seen on Kindig It Design’s website, the business highlights its employees, listing everyone from the boss Dave to their fabricators, technicians, painters, mechanics, assemblers, managers and administrative assistants.
We had a great time at #SEMA the Gullwing won a major award from the @Roadster_Shop and The John D’ Agostino crystal award Way to go #teamkindigit pic.twitter.com/RZuWjCegAj
— Dave Kindig (@davekindigit) December 12, 2018
While Dave has lots of talented and highly skilled staff, he’s also a family guy who uplifts the work that his closest people do in the company, such as his wife Charity, his daughter Baylee and his son-in-law Kaden. Out of them, Charity takes one of the most important roles in Kindig It Design by being its Vice President, Financial Chief, and the one who keeps Dave’s feet on the ground, as he revealed in an interview with Take To The Road.
In his mission to recognize his staff for the work they do, Dave also makes sure that “Bitchin’ Rides” portrays them as positively as possible, by getting rid of any fake plots and scripts. As he affirmed in an interview with Fuel Curve, he didn’t want his business and employees to be known as TV ‘clowns’, given the usual characterization for which other car-centered reality shows are known.
Dave Loves What He Does
One of the biggest reasons people love Dave Kindig is simply because he loves working on cars. His innovative ways of building automobiles attest to how insightful and knowledgeable he is, making motorheads overjoyed in seeing the cars preserve their classic essence while also sporting the style and finish of a nowadays car.
Dave’s love for cars and for what he does for a living is the reason that his building formula works so well, and makes everyone’s working dynamic effective. As he once revealed in a Fuel Curve interview, he’s put lots of effort into making Kindig It Design a great place to work, not only for the high-tech and the knowledge that his staff can access in it, but also because it’s exciting to be at the building, doing what they love.
In the end, there are too many reasons to love Dave Kindig and his work, yet it all comes down to the passion, effort, and commitment which he puts into everything, everyday.