Motor City Helps To Put New Wheels In "Fast N Loud"

DETROIT (WWJ) - The star of a reality show about rebuilding classic cars pays a visit to the Motor City and he says it was a whole different experience.

Richard Rawlings of the Discovery show "Fast N Loud" buys old hot rods and transforms them at his Gas Monkey Garage in Texas.

But here in Detroit, Rawlings was able to build a '69 Chevy COPO Camaro from scratch -- from putting the motor together to finishing the car on the assembly line in Oxford.

"We're doing something that really no one other than the people who work for them have ever done. I mean to walk down the assembly line and assemble our own car is pretty impressive. And I think that the viewing audience will just be amazed at the thought out process of I mean just, every time you turn around, there's an exact reason to be there, the car goes together, just boom, boom, boom boom," said Rawlings.

But he says building a car on the assembly is different than their operations at his shop.

"At Gas Monkey Garage we have a plan and execute it, but there's a whole lot more pitfalls," said Rawlings.

As for the comeback of models such as the Mustang and Challenger, Rawlings tells WWJ's Zahra Huber that it's a double-edged sword.

"One way I think it's great, but in another way we'd like to see a little more creativity, I think the American general is in kind of a boring stage and that they are only looking to the past," said Rawlings.

So what needs to be done?

"I think we need to focus a little more on what's next, what's new," said Rawlings.  "And the retro stuff is easy to do and I think we need to step away from that and make the next Challenger or the next icon car that going to stand out forever."

Rawlings' trip to Detroit will be part of his show "Fast N Loud."